WSU Clark County Extension
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Osage Orange

Scientific name: Maclura pomifera
Taxonomy
Family:Moraceae
Type:Deciduous tree
Native:NO
Plant Requirements
Zone:4 to 9
Sun:Full sun
Plant Characteristics
Height:40 ft
Width:40 ft
Bloom Time:April to June
Bloom Color:Green
Additional Characteristics
Trees


Fruit

Leaves


Bark
Wildlife value

Poisonous
Description Osage Orange is best known for the orange, ball-shaped fruit that the trees produces during the summer. In the fall the fruit drop from the limbs and will litter the ground beneath the trees. Also known as Hedge Apple.

  Morphology:
This is a deciduous tree that grows to 40 in height and width. It bears simple leaves, arranged in an opposite arrangement. Leaves have smooth edges and a pointed tip. They are described as being lance shaped in outline. During the summer the leaves are light green, while in the fall they turn to a golden color before being shed.

Flowers consist of simple, green, four-part structures which appear soon after the leaves open from April through June. The flowers are wind pollinated. Flowers give rise to the characteristic multiple fruit, composed of numerous separate ovaries, each arising from a separate female flower. The black hairs on the surface of the fruit are styles, each arising from a separate ovary.
Short sharp thorns cover the branches. Early pioneers to the Prairie States would take piles of the fruit and plant them in rows. The trees that developed grew in thickets; hence the term Hedge Apple.

The wood of the Osage Orange tree is very strong. It is still highly prized for its use in making archery bows.

  Adaptation:
Widely adapted to all soil types.

  Pests:
None reported.
For assistance, contact Dr. Charles Brun (brunc@wsu.edu), (360) 397-6060 5701
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