Body
Osage Orange
Maclura pomifera
Status
Native
Size
Height: to 50 feet
Distribution
Statewide
Osage orange is a medium-sized tree with a short trunk and dense, round or irregular crown. Once used as a hedgerow and windbreak, it was often referred to as hedge apple. The large, yellowish-green fruits, measuring 4–5 inches across, appear from September through October. The surface of the fruit is bumpy, resembling a brain, and the inside is embedded with seeds.
Media
Title
Image
Credit
Jim Rathert
Right to Use
Photo by Jim Rathert, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
Image
Caption
Biologists suspect 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.
Credit
Julianna Schroeder
Right to Use
Use of this image is restricted to MDC only
Image
Image
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This Issue's Staff
Magazine Manager - Stephanie Thurber
Editor - Angie Daly Morfeld
Associate Editor – Larry Archer
Photography Editor – Ben Nickelson
Staff Writer – Kristie Hilgedick
Staff Writer – Joe Jerek
Staff Writer – Dianne Van Dien
Designer – Marci Porter
Designer – Kate Morrow
Photographer – Noppadol Paothong
Photographer – David Stonner
Circulation – Marcia Hale
Editor - Angie Daly Morfeld
Associate Editor – Larry Archer
Photography Editor – Ben Nickelson
Staff Writer – Kristie Hilgedick
Staff Writer – Joe Jerek
Staff Writer – Dianne Van Dien
Designer – Marci Porter
Designer – Kate Morrow
Photographer – Noppadol Paothong
Photographer – David Stonner
Circulation – Marcia Hale