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About
Osage Orange Trees: Native to the midwestern and southeastern
United States, this species is also known as the hedge apple because
it was planted in thicket-like hedge rows before the advent of barbed
wire fences. The fruit is neither an orange nor an apple, although
it approaches the size of those fruits. Like the breadfruit and jackfruit,
it is a true multiple fruit composed of numerous separate ovaries,
each arising from a separate female flower. In fact, the bumpy surface
of the fruit is due to the numerous, tightly-packed ovaries of the
female flowers.
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Osage
Orange picture
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| Osage
Orange Tree Facts |
Scientific
Name: |
Maclura
pomifera
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Foliage: |
Green
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Mature
Height: |
20-40'
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Mature
Spread: |
20-40'
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Soil: |
Poor
OK
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Zones: |
4-9
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Moisture: |
Wet
to dry
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The
black hairs on the surface of the fruit are styles, each arising
from a separate ovary. The wood of osage orange was highly prized
by the Osage Indians of Arkansas and Missouri for bows. In fact,
osage orange is stronger than oak (Quercus) and as tough as hickory
(Carya), and is considered by archers to be one of the finest native
North American woods for bows. In Arkansas, in the early 19th century,
a good osage bow was worth a horse and a blanket. A yellow-orange
dye is also extracted from the wood and is used as a substitute
for fustic and aniline dyes in arts and industry.
For
more information about Osage Orange trees,
please visit our recommend supplier
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