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The Osage Orange Tree
by oranges.com
?Although the Osage Orange tree bears a pleasant smelling fruit, the thorny tree is considered inedible for humans, and squirrels seem to be the only animals that can stomach it.
The Osage Orange tree is a cousin to the mulberry tree and is also commonly known as the Hedge Apple tree. The Osage is a small deciduous tree or large shrub that grows to about 30 feet in height. The fruit of the Osage is a round and bumpy wrinkled ball up to 6" in diameter that is filled with a sticky white sap that will turn a shade of bright yellow-green in the fall. The fruit of the Osage Orange tree resembles a big, overgrown green mulberry in structure. Although the Osage fruit has a pleasant odor, it is considered inedible for humans because it is mildly poisonous and eating it may cause vomiting. However, the seeds are somewhat edible and squirrels seem to be the only animals that use it as a food source. Despite the name, the Osage Orange is not closely related to true orange trees or other common citrus fruits.
The origins of the Osage Orange tree are vague, but the name comes from the Osage Indian tribe that used to live in the Great Plains states. Today they are common in southern Oklahoma and northern Texas because they were once widely planted as living fences or hedges along the boundaries of farms and ranches. The trees are recognized by their glossy, pointed leaves and their stout thorns. Not all Osage Orange trees bear fruit though. Because they are either male or female, and only the females will bear fruit.
Cutting an Osage Orange fruit in half and will reveal a core surrounded by hundreds of the tiny inner seeds that are prized by squirrels. Humans can eat the Osage seeds, but it is not an easy task to remove the slimy husk and pick the seeds out of the pulpy core. Squirrels seem better suited to the task than humans and anytime you see piles of hedge apple husks below a tree, you know squirrels are at work somewhere in the area.
The invention of barbed wire in the 1880's made Osage Orange hedge fences obsolete, but because the Osage wood is so strong and so dense that termites can’t even penetrate it, people still use it as a source of super-sturdy fence posts. Anyone considering growing Osage Oranges today is cautioned to think carefully before they start planting anything because the thorny trees are extremely difficult to trim or prune, and they have a nasty habit of spreading all over your property very quickly. The thorns can cause flat tires and punctured feet for humans, and they can be a threat to any animals too, especially in pastures. Although their name may sound somewhat attractive and benign, Osage Orange trees don’t really have anything to do with citrus orange trees at all.
The Osage Orange tree is a cousin to the mulberry tree and is also commonly known as the Hedge Apple tree. The Osage is a small deciduous tree or large shrub that grows to about 30 feet in height. The fruit of the Osage is a round and bumpy wrinkled ball up to 6" in diameter that is filled with a sticky white sap that will turn a shade of bright yellow-green in the fall. The fruit of the Osage Orange tree resembles a big, overgrown green mulberry in structure. Although the Osage fruit has a pleasant odor, it is considered inedible for humans because it is mildly poisonous and eating it may cause vomiting. However, the seeds are somewhat edible and squirrels seem to be the only animals that use it as a food source. Despite the name, the Osage Orange is not closely related to true orange trees or other common citrus fruits.
The origins of the Osage Orange tree are vague, but the name comes from the Osage Indian tribe that used to live in the Great Plains states. Today they are common in southern Oklahoma and northern Texas because they were once widely planted as living fences or hedges along the boundaries of farms and ranches. The trees are recognized by their glossy, pointed leaves and their stout thorns. Not all Osage Orange trees bear fruit though. Because they are either male or female, and only the females will bear fruit.
Cutting an Osage Orange fruit in half and will reveal a core surrounded by hundreds of the tiny inner seeds that are prized by squirrels. Humans can eat the Osage seeds, but it is not an easy task to remove the slimy husk and pick the seeds out of the pulpy core. Squirrels seem better suited to the task than humans and anytime you see piles of hedge apple husks below a tree, you know squirrels are at work somewhere in the area.
The invention of barbed wire in the 1880's made Osage Orange hedge fences obsolete, but because the Osage wood is so strong and so dense that termites can’t even penetrate it, people still use it as a source of super-sturdy fence posts. Anyone considering growing Osage Oranges today is cautioned to think carefully before they start planting anything because the thorny trees are extremely difficult to trim or prune, and they have a nasty habit of spreading all over your property very quickly. The thorns can cause flat tires and punctured feet for humans, and they can be a threat to any animals too, especially in pastures. Although their name may sound somewhat attractive and benign, Osage Orange trees don’t really have anything to do with citrus orange trees at all.
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