What are Osage orange trees good for?
Prior to the invention of barbed wire, these thorny trees were planted as natural fencing for cattle deterrents. In the Midwest, the Osage orange is often called hedge apple. Osage orange wood is very durable and is still used for making fence posts.
Can you eat the fruit of the Osage orange tree?
Osage orange fruit cut open, showing white, seedy pulp inside. Osage orange fruit are definitely not edible, and most foraging animals will not eat them. Only squirrel and the deer will eat the tiny seeds inside, which are the only edible part.
How do you identify an Osage orange tree?
Osage orange is a medium-sized tree with a short trunk, dense, round, or irregular crown, milky sap, and stout thorns. Leaves are alternate, simple, 3–6 inches long, 2–3 inches wide, broadest below the middle; margins lacking teeth; upper surface dark green, shiny; lower surface paler, with some hairs along the veins.
Where does the Osage orange tree grow?
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : Osage-orange is native to a narrow belt in eastern Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, southwestern Arkansas, and the extreme northwest corner of Louisiana. This belt includes portions of the Blackland Prairies, Chiso Mountains, and the Red River drainage [4].
Are Osage orange trees worth money?
The Osage Orange Tree is a beautiful tree that is also known as yellowwood, bodark, and more. It produces a fruit with coarse hair and the size of a grapefruit or orange. The lumber of this tree is usually worth $4 in 4/4 thickness and $5 in 8/4 thickness.
Will deer eat Osage orange?
It wasn't until the first big mature bucks showed up on the scene that I finally got my answer. As you can see in the following pictures, the older males do feed on Osage Oranges, and they eat them with relish!
Do squirrels eat osage oranges?
Osage orange fruit, which has a fruity, citric fragrance, is inedible to humans, but squirrels seem to love it. The fruit has caused the death of quite a few cows and other livestock that try to swallow one whole.
What does the bark of Osage orange look like?
0:433:04Identifying Osage-orange - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe bark has a brownish orange. Color with a little bit of greys in it this is a fairly young treeMoreThe bark has a brownish orange. Color with a little bit of greys in it this is a fairly young tree and so the furrows or ridges are not particularly deep. This will deepen a bit as it gets older. The
Are osage oranges poisonous?
However, a 2015 study indicated that Osage orange seeds are not effectively spread by extant horse or elephant species. The fruit is not poisonous to humans or livestock, but is not preferred by them, because it is mostly inedible due to a large size (about the diameter of a softball) and hard, dry texture.
Is Osage orange the same as hedge?
The fruits of the Osage orange tree, somewhat confusingly known as hedge apples, are softball-sized and unpalatable to most animals. But the tree has had an outsize impact on U.S. history.
Does Osage orange trees have thorns?
Osage orange, (Maclura pomifera), also called bowwood, French bois d'arc, thorny tree or shrub native to the south-central United States, the only species of its genus in the family Moraceae. The Osage orange is often trained as a hedge; when planted in rows along a boundary, it forms an effective spiny barrier.
What animal eats Osage orange?
Deer do eat Osage-oranges, but apparently mainly by munching fallen fruit late in the winter. Cows tend to choke on them. Squirrels strip out the seeds and eat them, so only dropped seeds are dispersed.
Can you burn Osage wood?
Osage orange firewood, also known as hedge, horse apple or bodark, is one of the best firewood types available. This oddly shaped tree does not grow very tall (roughly 26-49 feet) but its wood is extremely dense making it a great firewood choice.
Does Osage orange keep spiders away?
Researchers found that the Osage orange failed to repel spiders but did repel some cockroaches and mosquitoes. The repellent properties came from compounds inside the fruit, however, and were ineffective when the fruit remained whole.
How much does Osage orange wood cost?
Osage Orange GalleryDescriptionPriceOsage Orange 4/4 thickness$4.00Osage Orange 8/4 thickness$5.00
What is osage orange used for?
Common Uses: Fence posts, dye, archery bows, musical instruments, turnings, and other small specialty wood items. Comments: Osage Orange has a relatively low modulus of elasticity compared to its weight and modulus of rupture which helps explain why it is sometimes used for archery bows.
What is the wood of Argentine orange?
Commonly, the wood of a related South-American species— Maclura tinctoria —is imported as Argentine Osage Orange. This imported wood has the advantage of being available in larger sizes, with boards having less knots and defects than the smaller domestic species, Maclura pomifera.
What is grain texture?
Grain/Texture: Grain is straight, with a fine to medium texture. High natural luster.
Is orange wood rot resistant?
Rot Resistance: Osage Orange is extremely durable and is considered to be one of the most decay resistant woods in North America.
Does osage orange turn water yellow?
One helpful characteristic that can help separate it from lookalikes such as Mulberry or Black Locust (besides being heavier) is that Osage Orange contains a water-soluble yellow dye, so putting shavings into water will turn the water yellow.
What is Osage Orange?
Many people have never heard of this tree. If you mention it, expect questions like: “What is Osage orange?”
How to grow osage oranges from seeds?
It is easiest if you wait for fruit to fall to the ground and freeze in winter, since the cold temperatures facilitate seed-removal. Start growing Osage orange trees by planting individual seeds in pots indoors.
How tall do orange trees grow?
If you are interested in growing an Osage orange tree in a hedge, it will likely stay under 20 feet (6 m.) tall, but in the wild, trees can grow much taller. The trunk grows to several feet in diameter.
What is an orange tree?
What Is Osage Orange – Information About Osage Orange Trees. The Osage orange tree is an unusual tree. Its fruit are wrinkled green balls the size of grapefruit. On the other hand, the trees’ yellow wood is strong and flexible, and so dense that it is immune to termites. Growing an Osage orange tree is fast and easy.
What is a hedge apple?
Its odd shape and color have given it many nicknames, including green brains and hedge apple. The tree also bears long, tough thorns, sharp as steel and can bust tires. These make it a top choice as a defensive hedge. For years, these trees were used for hedges throughout the eastern half of the nation.
Do squirrels like orange trees?
If all this information about Osage orange trees makes you want to start growing one, the squirrels will thank you. Osage orange seeds are a favorite squirrel snack.
Is barbed wire good for osage hedges?
Perhaps this chemical is what gives the dense wood its resistance to rot. It’s an excellent wood for fence posts and ship masts.
