Common Name(s): | Osage Orange, Horse-apple, Bois d'arc |
Scientific Name: | Maclura pomifera |
Family: | Moraceae |
Longevity: | Perennial |
Season: | Cool |
Origin: | Native |
Height: | 12 m |
Flowers: | April - May |
Fruits: | Fall |
Description: A medium-sized tree adapted to a variety of sites. Twigs and stems are equipped with short, stout spines. Widely planted in shelterbelts. The seeds inside the fruit are eaten by squirrels and turkeys have been know to pick and scratch open over ripe fruit for the seed as well. The leaves and twigs provide a year-round food source for white-tailed deer. Also browsed by livestock. The wood is hard and decay resistant and is often used for fence posts. The milky sap in the stems, leaves and fruits may cause contact dermatitis in some humans. Historically cultivated for thorny hedges and fence rows and is reportedly the source for the idea behind the invention of barbed wire. Also commonly called Bois d'arc, a French name referring to the use of the wood by Indians for making bows. The wood is still commonly used by bowyers. |