Osage Orange Plant Profile

Osage Orange Plant Profile

Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera) is a tree that bears large, inedible fruits in the fall. It is also known as prairie hedge, hedge apple, horse apple, or bowwood. The latter name comes from the tree’s use for making bows. The wood of this tree is strong, durable, and rot-resistant. It was also notably made into wagon wheel rims by the pioneers. It is native to Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and portions of Missouri.

These trees were planted by farmers and homesteaders as living fences and windbreaks. It grows fast from seed and this is your warning not to put the fruit in your compost pile, lest you want a crop of saplings to emerge next season.

The softball-sized fruit is bright green with a bumpy texture. It is covered with hairs and a sticky sap. They exude a somewhat astringent scent and many people gather them in bowls to use inside as an insect repellent or interesting table décor.

The fruit is said to have been eaten by the extinct Mastodon and today the only edible part is the seeds, which squirrels will tear open the green globes to access.

Aside from the unique fruit, the bark itself is distinctive with deep furrows and sometimes saggy bottoms. The branches are thick and thorny. The leaves are small, oval, and turn yellow in the fall.

It prefers to grow in full sun and is hardy to zone 4 through 9. It is not picky about soil type and is drought-tolerant once established.

It is said to be a relatively small tree, but can be long-lived. The national champion Osage Orange at River Farm (headquarters of the American Horticultural Society in Alexandria, Virginia) is at least 200 years old and measures around 58 feet tall.

Osage Orange: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.

Audio and text by Kathy Jentz

Video and editing by Brandie Bland

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