Osage Orange

Illustration of Osage orange flowers and fruit.
Thorny
Skin irritating
Scientific Name
Maclura pomifera
Family
Moraceae (mulberries)
Description

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.

Bark is brown to orange, deeply grooved with age, ridges rounded, interconnecting, often peeling into long, thin strips; exposed roots (and wood) bright orange.

Twigs are slender, green, turning light orange-brown, young twigs hairy, becoming smooth later; sap milky; spines stout, straight, about ½ inch long, emerging above the leaf attachment.

Flowers May–June. Male and female flowers minute, in dense clusters about 1 inch across, each produced on separate trees; no petals.

Fruits September–October, large, yellowish green, fleshy or pulpy, 4–5 inches across; surface resembling a brain; juice milky, sticky, bitter. Numerous seeds small, flattened, imbedded in the fruit.

Other Common Names
Hedge Apple
Hedgeapple
Bois d’Arc
Bow-Wood
Size

Height: to 50 feet.

Where To Find
image of Osage Orange distribution map

Introduced statewide; native to Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and portions of Missouri.

Occurs in low woods in valleys along streams, edge of woods, pastures, fencerows, thickets, and disturbed forests. Osage orange was introduced to Missouri long ago for use as hedgerows and windbreaks — hence the common name hedge apple. Biologists believe that the large fruits evolved to be eaten and dispersed by the large herbivores, such as mastodons, which lived on our continent only 20,000–30,000 years ago. Today, not many animals eat the sticky fruits, and the seeds often end up right where they fell.

Sometimes considered a nuisance, this species is native to portions of Missouri. A single female Osage orange tree can produce many fruits, each with many seeds. The animals that eat the fruits disperse the seeds over long distances. This tree can also reproduce from root sprouts.

Also called bois d’arc and bow-wood, it was used by the Osage to make bows. The useful, heavy wood resists decay and is uniquely yellow-orange. A yellow dye can be made from the roots. Native Americans used root tea as an eye wash. Settlers planted rows of Osage orange as a living cattle fence.

Squirrels tear apart the fruit to eat the seeds, and in open areas the tree provides invaluable cover to many small mammals and birds. It can become a nuisance in prairies and savannas, however, and also invades forest communities, especially after disturbances such as grazing.

Media Gallery
Illustration of Osage orange flowers and fruit.
Osage orange, Maclura pomifera
Paul Nelson
1/4
Photo of Osage orange fruits hanging in tree.
Osage orange bears weird, softball-sized, chartreuse, brainlike fruits.
2/4
Image of an Osage orange leaf, fall leaf, and fruit.
Osage orange summer leaf, fall leaf, and fruit.
MDC Staff
3/4
Photo of an Osage orange fruit resting on the ground amid damp leaf litter
Biologists believe that the large fruits of Osage orange evolved to be eaten and dispersed by large herbivores such as mastodons. Today, not many animals eat the sticky fruits, and the seeds often end up right beneath the parent tree.
4/4
Illustration of Osage orange flowers and fruit.
Photo of Osage orange fruits hanging in tree.
Image of an Osage orange leaf, fall leaf, and fruit.
Photo of an Osage orange fruit resting on the ground amid damp leaf litter
Similar Species

Where to See Species

Vandalia CL
Vandalia Community Lake
The land around Vandalia Community Lake(44 acres)is mainly woods and old fields. Area facilities/features include: boat ramp, improved camping, picnic areas and pavilion.
Nodaway County CL
Nodaway County Community Lake
The area consists of 320 acres adjacent to Highway 148, with a 73-acre lake running north/south in the middle of the area. Most of the land around the lake is pasture and old fields.
About Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines in Missouri
There are no sharp dividing lines between trees, shrubs, and woody vines, or even between woody and nonwoody plants. “Wood” is a type of tissue made of cellulose and lignin that many plants develop as they mature — whether they are “woody” or not. Trees are woody plants over 13 feet tall with a single trunk. Shrubs are less than 13 feet tall, with multiple stems. Vines require support or else sprawl over the ground.