Osage-Orange aka hedge apple trees well-suited to various conditions - The Columbus Dispatch
Each year in mid- to late October, the OSU Extension office fields questions about hedge apples, an oddity of nature which seem to fall from the sky in autumn. These large and heavy fruits with an odd appearance actually fall from female Osage orange trees, not out of the sky.
Some individuals want to know what the crazy-looking fruit is and whether it is edible. Others want to know if placing these fruits in a windowsill or other location indoors will repel spiders and other insects. One caller even asked how to stop these falling fruits from falling onto his vehicle and causing damage! I suggested that he park in a different location.
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Prehistoric relic
Osage orange (Maclura pomifera) was first discovered in 1804 growing in a small native range in the Red River watershed of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The Osage part of the name for this tree comes from the indigenous people living in the area of the tree's native range and the orange part of the name is derived from the general appearance of the tree's fruit and, perhaps, the orange tones in the color of the bark of the tree.
The fruit borne by this tree is commonly called hedge apple but are also sometimes referred to as horse-apple, hedge balls, and mock-orange. And I have heard more than one youngster playing with these fruits call them monkey brains.
Osage orange trees were planted as living fences prior to the development of barbed wire. Dense, crossing branches and thorns on the branches discouraged livestock from crossing through these trees when they were planted close together.
Osage orange was also one of the primary trees used in Works Progress Administration (WPA) programs aimed at preventing soil erosion during the Great Depression. Osage orange trees can now be found growing in all 48 contiguous states in the United States.
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Scientists theorize that Osage orange is a relic from a prehistoric era when the fruit was a megafauna, providing a food source for gigantic beasts such as American mastodons, American camels, American rhinos and giant sloths, all of which once roamed much of present-day United States.
Osage orange in the landscape
Osage orange can be a beautiful tree in the landscape if suitable cultivars are selected and the trees are strategically located in the home landscape to avoid damage from the softball-sized fruits when they fall each autumn. This tree has beautiful glossy, dark-green foliage and deeply fissured orange-tan bark with great winter interest.
Osage orange can be a go-to tree for difficult urban sites because they grow in all types of cultural conditions, including poor soils with little native fertility. The tree is also not susceptible to harmful insect and disease problems, and periods of drought or excessive soil moisture do not seem to bother this tree.
Osage orange trees are dioecious, which means that there are both female and male trees. Only female Osage orange trees bear fruit, so if you wish to plant one of these trees in your home landscape and don't want to deal with the fruit, be sure to purchase a male tree.
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The thorny branches of Osage orange trees can present a challenge to gardeners when pruning or cleaning up fallen branches, so consider selecting a thornless variety such as "White Shield" and "Wichita," both of which are male varieties.
Insect repellent myth
Many people believe that placing hedge apples in a windowsill in autumn will repel spiders, stink bugs and lady beetles intent on entering the home to seek winter shelter. There is no research-based evidence supporting this myth, although researchers have found chemical compounds in the fruit that have some insect-repellency properties. However, the natural concentrations of these compounds in the fruit are far too low to serve as an effective insect repellent.
Hedge apples are not poisonous to humans or animals, but their taste and texture do not make them particularly suitable for human consumption. The best use for hedge apples is as fall decorations inside and outside the home. And each fall, kids in my neighborhood seem to have fun playing hedge apple softball (which is messy).
Mike Hogan is an associate professor at Ohio State University and extension educator at the OSU Extension.
hogan.1@osu.edu
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