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Osage orange is native to southwestern United States – a small area of eastern Texas, southeastern Oklahoma and southwestern Arkansas. This region is the home of the Osage Indians, from whom the tree gets its common name.
Where can you find Osage orange?
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : Osage-orange is native to a narrow belt in eastern Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, southwestern Arkansas, and the extreme northwest corner of Louisiana. This belt includes portions of the Blackland Prairies, Chiso Mountains, and the Red River drainage [4].
Is Osage orange wood valuable?
The French settlers found the Osage orange to also be a valuable resource for wood, and they used it a lot because of its durability and strength. Because of the many uses of the Osage orange tree, it quickly became difficult to find and grow because people would cut down the trees to make all of these things.
What is Osage orange tree good for?
Native Americans valued the plant highly and used it for archery bows and war clubs. And for good reason—as the U.S. Department of Agriculture notes, Osage orange has the highest work to maximum load value of any wood by far, meaning it has the rare combination of strength and flexibility.
Can you eat a Osage orange?
Osage Orange Fruit They are produced in summer. Osage orange fruit cut open, showing white, seedy pulp inside. Osage orange fruit are definitely not edible, and most foraging animals will not eat them. Only squirrel and the deer will eat the tiny seeds inside, which are the only edible part.
How fast does Osage orange Grow?
They grows well on difficult sites, including soil too alkaline for other trees. It grows surprisingly fast for a dense-wooded tree, reaching 9-12 feet in a 3 to 5 year period.
Does Osage orange Grow in Colorado?
Will Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera) grow in Colorado? Yes. Tree is found in 38 of 48 contiguous U.S. states. It has a reputation for being weedy and invasive.
How long does an Osage orange tree live?
Mature trees have trunks as thick as 2 feet in diameter. Osage orange has a short lifespan as compared to other trees, only living up to about 75 years.
What is the most beautiful wood in the world?
Beautiful Wood Thuja Plicata. A real giant of a tree, available in wide boards and very easy to work. Alnus glutinosa. Acer saccharum. Swietenia macrophylla. Tectona grandis. Indian laurel. Tilia vulgaris. Triplochiton scleroxylon.
How much is an Osage orange tree worth?
Osage Orange Log – Worth $400 to mill – Newbie in General Board.
What animal eats Osage orange?
Deer do eat Osage-oranges, but apparently mainly by munching fallen fruit late in the winter. Cows tend to choke on them. Squirrels strip out the seeds and eat them, so only dropped seeds are dispersed.
Why is Osage orange so hard?
Osage orange is exceptionally hard and strong. The bending strength (MOR) is over 20,000 psi (50 percent more than red oak). Stiffness (MOE) averages 1.8 million psi (roughly equal to red oak). The high density means excellent nail and screw holding as well.
How do you grow Osage orange fruit?
How to Plant Osage Orange Hedges Sow seeds in the fall, spaced 1 inch apart and 3/8 inches deep in partly compacted soil. Water the seeds enough to keep the soil moist. Keep the seed bed weed-free as the plants are forming. Dig up the seedlings in the fall after a summer’s growth.
What are the green balls that fall from trees?
Maclura pomifera, commonly known as the Osage orange, horse apple, hedge, or hedge apple tree, is a small deciduous tree or large shrub, typically growing about 8 to 15 metres (30–50 ft) tall.Maclura pomifera. Osage orange Family: Moraceae Genus: Maclura Species: M. pomifera Binomial name.
Why are they called monkey balls?
According to a recent report from The Incline, yinzers commonly refer to them as monkey balls. The tree they come from is officially called the maclura pomifera. Only the female trees produce fruit, according to The Incline. The fruits are not edible for humans and are basically a ball of latex with white, sticky glue.
Do Osage orange trees have thorns?
Osage-orange can now be found in all 48 contiguous states. Of course, Osage-orange has two attributes that limit its use in landscapes: large fruits and spiny thorns. The hard, roughened fruits range in size from 3 – 5″ in diameter and have been known to crack windshields of cars parked beneath female trees.
How do you start an Osage orange tree?
Starting Osage Orange Seed Start the seeds in 8-inch nursery pots filled with a moistened mixture of half potting soil and half coarse sand. Sow two seeds in each pot at a depth of 3/8 inch. Set the pots in a bright, warm location and keep the soil moist but not sopping wet.
Does Osage orange grow in California?
Maclura pomifera Calflora. Maclura pomifera (Raf.) Maclura pomifera, a dicot, is a tree or shrub that is not native to California.
