Overview
Interesting Facts
- Maclura pomifera has been widely used in fencerows on farms and along roadways in the midwest and eastern states as windbreaks and wildlife shelter . [source]
- The Comanches used Maclura pomifera as an eye medication (D. E. Moerman 1986). [source]
- Osage orange trees are common throughout the American midwest, although they were not originally a member of the prairie plant community. They are native only to Oklahoma and north Texas; ranchers and farmers transplanted them widely for use as a hedgerow before the invention of barbed wire at Dekalb, IL in 1874. The trees are easily recognizable by their glassy, pointed leaves, stout thorns , and of course , the glossy green seeds. The common name for this tree comes from the Osage tribe of native Americans, and the orange-citrus smell exuded by the fruit, which are treasured by young boys for their great throwing properties. Only female trees bear fruit.
- Its strong yet limber branches were prized for the construction of bows by the Native Americans. The common name "Bodark" is a bastardized version of the French "bois d'arc" or "bow wood". Other common names include hedgeapple and horseapple. Many have tried to attribute insecticidal properties to this plant, but scientific evidence for such is apochryphal and generally lacking.
- Osage orange trees are common throughout the American midwest, although they were not originally a member of the prairie plant community. They are native only to Oklahoma and north Texas; ranchers and farmers transplanted them widely for use as a hedgerow before the invention of barbed wire at Dekalb, IL in 1874. The trees are easily recognizable by their glassy, pointed leaves, stout thorns, and of course, the glossy green seeds. The common name for this tree comes from the Osage tribe of native Americans, and the orange-citrus smell exuded by the fruit, which are treasured by young boys for their great throwing properties. Only female trees bear fruit.
- Its strong yet limber branches were prized for the construction of bows by the Native Americans. The common name "Bodark" is a bastardized version of the French "bois d'arc" or "bow wood". Other common names include hedgeapple and horseapple. Many have tried to attribute insecticidal properties to this plant, but scientific evidence for such is apochryphal and generally lacking.
Common Names
Click on the language to view common names.
Common Names in English:
Bodock Tree, Bois D'arc, Hedge Apple, Hedge-Apple, Horse Apple, Osage Orange, Osage-Orange, Osageorange
Common Names in French:
Bois D´arc, Maclure épineux, Oranger Des Osages
Common Names in German:
Osagedorn
Common Names in Portuguese:
Laranja-Osage, Pau-D´´´arco
Common Names in Romanian:
Maclură
Common Names in Russian:
Makljura Jablonskonosnaja, маклюра яблонсконосная
Common Names in Spanish:
Machura, Madera De Arco, Mora Amarilla, Naranjo De Los Osages
Common Names in unspecified:
Bois D'arc, Osage Orange, Osage-Orange, Osageorange
Description
Family Moraceae
Trees
, shrubs
, vines
, or rarely herbs, frequently with milky
or watery latex, sometimes spiny
. Stipules present, frequently caducous
. Leaves alternate, rarely opposite; petiole
often present and well-defined; leaf blade
simple
, sometimes with cystoliths
, margin
entire or palmately lobed
, venation
pinnate or palmate. Inflorescences axillary
, frequently paired
, racemose, spicate
, capitate, or rarely cymose
, sometimes a fig or syconium with flowers completely enclosed within a hollow receptacle. Flowers unisexual
(plants
monoecious or dioecious), small to very small. Calyx lobes
(1 or) 2-4(-8), free
or connate
, imbricate or valvate
. Corolla absent. Male flowers: stamens as many as and opposite to calyx lobes (except in Artocarpus), straight or inflexed
in bud; anthers
1- or 2-loculed, crescent-shaped to top-shaped; pistillode
(rudimentary
sterile
pistil) often present. Female flowers: calyx lobes usually 4; ovary superior, semi-inferior, or inferior, 1(or 2) -loculed; ovules 1 per locule, anatropous
or campylotropous; style branches 1 or 2; stigmas usually filiform
. Fruit usually a drupe, rarely an achene, enveloped by an enlarged calyx and/or immersed
in a fleshy
receptacle, often joined into a syncarp. Seed solitary; endosperm present or absent.
Between 37 and 43 genera and 1100â1400 species: widespread in tropical
and subtropical
areas, less common in temperate
areas; nine genera and 144 species (26 endemic, five introduced
) in China.
Economically, the most important species are those of Morus and Maclura associated with the production
of silk
. Some species in Broussonetia, Maclura, and Morus are important for paper making; some species in Artocarpus, Ficus, and Morus have edible fruit; and some species of Artocarpus and Broussonetia are used for furniture or timber.[1]
Genus Maclura
Trees
, deciduous; sap
milky
. Branches with axillary
spines. Terminal
buds surrounded by bud scales. Leaves alternate; stipules caducous
, free
. Leaf blade
ovate
to lanceolate, not leathery, margins
entire, never lobed
; venation
pinnate. Inflorescences: flowers borne outside receptacle; staminate
inflorescences loose
short racemes
; pistillate
inflorescences dense heads
. Flowers: staminate and pistillate on different plants
. Staminate flowers
: calyx 4-lobed; stamens 4, inflexed
; filaments
filiform
; anthers
introrse
, with short connective
. Pistillate flowers: sepals 4, 2 outer sepals wider than inner ones; ovary 1, superior, 1-locular; style unbranched, filiform. Syncarps globose
, 8-12 cm or more diam.; each achene completely enclosed by its enlarged, fleshy
calyx.
Maclura is a monotypic genus endemic to North America.[2]
Physical Description
Species Maclura pomifera
Trees
, to 20 m.
Bark
dark orange-brown, shallowly furrowed
, ridges
flat, often peeling into long, thin strips. Branchlets
greenish yellow,
becoming orange-brown; thorns
stout, straight, to 1.5 cm, usually
lateral
to spur branch
, spur branches often paired
. Buds often paired,
larger one red-brown, globose
, 1.5-2 mm; scales
ciliate
; leaf scars
half round, bundle scars
arranged in oval
. Leaves: stipules lanceolate,
1.5-2 mm, pubescent
and long-ciliate; petiole
1-2.5 cm, pubescent.
Leaf blade
4-12 × 2-6 cm, base
rounded
, apex acuminate; surfaces
abaxially pale
, glabrate
, midrib
and veins pubescent, adaxially lustrous
,
glabrous
, midrib somewhat pubescent. Staminate
inflorescences clustered
on lateral spur branches; peduncle 1-1.5 cm, pubescent; heads
globose
or cylindric
, 1.3-2.3 cm; pedicels 2-10 mm, glabrate. Pistillate
inflorescences: peduncle 2-2.5 mm, glabrous or pubescent; heads globose,
sessile on obconic receptacle, to 1.5 cm diam. Staminate flowers
:
sepals distinct
, yellow-green, ca.
1 mm, apex acute, pubescent; filaments
ca. 2 mm, closely appressed
to sepals, flattened. Pistillate flowers:
sepals green, obovate
, 3 mm, enclosing and closely appressed to ovary,
hoodlike, ciliate near tip
; ovary ovoid, compressed
, ca. 1 mm; style
base green, ca. 3 mm, branches 4-6 mm, glabrous; stigma yellowish,
papillose
. Syncarps yellow-green to green, spheric, surface irregular,
exuding milky
sap
when broken
, peduncle short, glabrous or pubescent;
achenes completely covered by accescent, thickened calyx lobes
and
deeply embedded
in receptacle. Seeds cream colored
, oval to oblong
,
8-12 × 5-6 mm, base truncate or rounded with 1-3 minute points
,
margins
with narrow groove
, apex rounded, mucronate
; surfaces minutely
striated or pitted
. Flowering spring
. [source]
Maclura pomifera is native
to southwestern Arkansas, southeastern
Oklahoma, and Texas; it is introduced
and naturalized
elsewhere in
the United
States. Collections
in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts,
Rhode Island, and Washington appear to represent isolated escapes
.
[source]
ID Features: Deciduous tree. Alternate leaf arrangement. Spines cover stems. Large yellow-green fruit. No terminal bud. Inner bark is orange. Milky sap appears when leaves or spines are broken off.
Habit: A small rounded deciduous tree . A short main trunk that splits into many main branches 2' to 3' from the ground . Foliage is mostly toward the outer part of the canopy . The result is a neat clean attractive form.
Flowers: Dioecious. Blooms in June. Not ornamentally important. • Bloom Period: June. • Flower Color: pale green
Seeds: Fruit: Large, pale , yellow synocarp of drupes. Ripens in October. Litter problem.
Foliage: Summer foliage: Simple , deciduous leaves. Alternate leaf arrangement . Oblong leaf shape with a subcordate leaf base and pointed tip . 2" to 5" long. Bright green leaf color. When leaf is removed from stem milky sap appears at leaf scar . • Fall foliage: Yellow-green to golden. Unreliable.
Size/Age/Growth
Growth Rate: Fast. • Size: 20' to 40 ' tall with and almost equal width .
Landscaping
Landscape Uses: For harsh conditions. For interesting fruit. • Liabilities: Spines cover stems. Fruit can be a litter problem.
Habitat
Thickets. 0-1500 m
[3].
Zone 4.
Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,998 meters (0 to 9,836 feet).[4]
Biology
Growth
Culture: Easily transplant. Adaptable to most soil conditions. Full sun . Prune tolerant .
Soil: Minimum pH: 6.6 • Maximum pH: 7.5
Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade.
Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b. (map)
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
()
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
()
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
()
- Kenrick & Crane, 1997
- Class:
Magnoliopsida
()
- Brongniart, 1843
- Dicotyledons
- Subclass:
Rosidae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Urticanae
()
- Takhtajan Ex Reveal, 1992
- Order:
Rosales
()
- Perleb, 1826
- Family:
Moraceae
()
- (Dumort., 1829) Gaudich., in Trinius, 1835, nom. cons.
- mulberries
- Subfamily:
Orchidoideae
()
- Subfamily:
Orchidoideae
(
- Family:
Moraceae
(
- Order:
Rosales
(
- Superorder:
Urticanae
(
- Subclass:
Rosidae
(
- Class:
Magnoliopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Synonyms
Ioxylon pomiferum Raf. • Maclura pomifera (Raf.) C. K. Schneid. • Maclura pomifera (Raf.) C. K. Schneider • Maclura pomifera (Raf.) Schneid. • Toxylon pomiferum Raf. Ex Sarg.
Similar Species
Members of the genus Maclura
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 5 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
M. excelsa (African Teak) · M. pomifera (Bodock Tree) · M. pomifera 'Cannonball' (Osage-Orange) · M. pomifera 'White Shield' (Bodock Tree) · M. tinctoria (Fustictree)
More Info
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Further Reading
- A dictionary of American plant names / compiled by Willard N. Clute. Joliet, Ill.: W.N. Clute, 1923. url p. 164.
- Annual report / New York State Museum. Albany, N.Y.: University of the State of New York, c1904-1920. url p. 33.
- Bartonia;proceedings of the Philadelphia botanical club. .. 62 2004 Philadelphia, Philadelphia Botanical Club, Academy of Natural Sciences. url p. 65, p. 74, p. 8.
- Bergen's botany, key and flora. Northern and central states ed. By Joseph Y. Bergen. Boston, Ginn, [1908] url p. 65.
- Botanical Museum leaflets, Harvard University. 7 1939 Cambridge, Mass.: Botanical Museum, Harvard University, 1932- url p. 95.
- Botany for secondary schools; a guide to the knowledge of the vegetation of the neighborhood, by L. H. Bailey. New York, Macmillan, 1920. url p. 347.
- Britton, N. L. (ed.). North American flora. 6 1922 [New York]New York Botanical Garden. url p. 26, p. 79.
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden record. 14 1925 [Brooklyn]: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1912-44. url p. 11, p. 19, p. 4.
- Bulletin / Illinois Natural History Survey. Urbana, State of Illinois, Dept. of Registration and Education, Natural History Survey Division, 1918-1985. url p. 177, p. 178.
- Bulletin Harrisburg, Pa.: The Department, [1923]- url .
- Contributions from the Botanical Laboratory. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1892- url .
- Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 21 1919 Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1890- url p. 141.
- Elements of botany. Boston, Ginn[c1904, pref. 1906] url .
- Erigenia: journal of the Illinois Native Plant Society. Carbondale, Ill.: The Society, 1982- url p. 14.
- Essentials of botany. Boston, Ginn[c1908] url , .
- Flora of Illinois, containing keys for the identification of the flowering plants and ferns, by George Neville Jones. .. Notre Dame, Ind., The University Press, 1945. url p. 112.
- Flora of Indiana, by Charles C. Deam. Indianapolis, Wm. B. Burford printing co., contractor for state printing and binding, 1940. url p. 395.
- Gray's new manual of botany, a handbook of the flowering plants and ferns of the central and northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, rearranged and extensively revised by Benjamin Lincoln Robinson. .. and Merritt Lyndon Fernald. .. New York, Cincinnati [etc.]American Book Co.[c1908] url p. 347.
- Illinois forest management: a quarterly newsletter for Illinois landowners. Urbana, Ill.: Dept. of Forestry and the Cooperative Extension Service, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1983- url p. 12.
- International catalogue of scientific literature. London: Published for the International Council by the Royal Society of London, 1902-1919. url p. 270.
- Introduction to botany, Boston, Ginn and company[c1914] url .
- Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Science. Lexington, KY: The Academy, 1998- url p. 32.
- Journal of the New York Botanical Garden. 35 1934 Lancaster, Pa.: Published for the Garden by the New Era Printing Co., 1900- url p. 298, p. 301.
- Key and flora: northern and central states / Boston: Ginn, 1908. url .
- Manual of the trees of North America (exclusive of Mexico) by Charles Sprague Sargent, with seven hundred and eighty-three illustrations from drawings by Charles Edward Faxon and Mary W. Gill. Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin company, 1922. url p. 904.
- National list of scientific plant names. [Washington, D.C.]: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, 1982- url p. 216.
- Natural area inventory of Pender County, North Carolina / Raleigh: North Carolina Coastal Energy Impact Program, Office of Coastal Management, North Carolina Dept. of Natural Resources and Community Development, [1982?] url p. 42.
- North American trees: being descriptions and illustrations of the trees growing independently of cultivation in North America, north of Mexico and the West Indies / New York: H. Holt and Co., 1908. url .
- Pennsylvania trees / by J.S. Illick. Harrisburg., Pa.: W. S. Ray, State Printer, 1915. url p. 153.
- Phytologia. Bronx Park, New York, H.A. Gleason and H.N. Moldenke, url p. 134, p. 388.
- Plant materials of decorative gardening; the woody plants. Urbana, The author, 1921. url p. 30.
- Report of the State Botanist. Albany, N.Y.: University of the State of New York, 1898-1925. url p. 62.
- Rubber-content of North American plants, by Harvey M. Hall and Frances L. Long. Washington, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1921. url p. 47.
- Scientific and applied pharmacognosy, intended for the use of students in pharmacy, as a hand book for pharmacists, and as a reference book for food and drug analysts and pharmacologists. New York, Wiley, 1920. url p. 173.
- Standardized plant names; a catalogue of approved scientific and common names of plants in American commerce. Salem, Mass., 1923. url p. 299.
- Studies in natural history. Iowa City, Ia. url p. 44.
- The Canadian field-naturalist. Ottawa, Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. url p. 341.
- The Great Basin naturalist. 40 1980 Provo, Utah: M.L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, 1939-1999. url p. 47.
- The University of Kansas science bulletin. 50 1974 [Lawrence]: University of Kansas, 1902-1996. url p. 354.
- The standard cyclopedia of horticulture; a discussion, for the amateur, and the professional and commercial grower, of the kinds, characteristics and methods of cultivation of the species of plants grown in the regions of the United States a Illustrated with colored plates, four thousand engravings in the text, and ninety-six full-page cuts. New York, Macmillan, 1919 [c1914] url p. 911.
- Trees in winter; their study, planting, care and identification, New YorkMacmillan1913 url p. 440.
- Trees of Indiana / by Chas. C. Deam Fort Wayne, Ind.: Fort Wayne Printing Co., 1921 url p. 11, p. 156, p. 311.
- University of Kansas publications, Museum of Natural History. 12 1962 Lawrence, University of Kansas. url p. 247.
- Within the living plant; an introduction to plant physiology. New York, Blakiston[1953] url p. 103.
- Woody plants in winter; a manual of common trees and shrubs in winter in the Northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, by Earl L. Core and Nelle P. Ammons. Pittsburgh, Boxwood Press[1958] url p. 89.
- Chang Siushih, Wu Chengyih & Cao Ziyu. 1998. Moroideae. In: Chang Siushih & Wu Chengyih, eds., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 23(1): 1219.
- Chang Siushih, Wu Chengyih & Cao Ziyu. 1998. Moroideae. In: Chang Siushih & Wu Chengyih, eds., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 23(1): 1219.
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 22, 2007:
- GBIF-Spain, Institut Botanic de Barcelona, BC
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
- Oregon State University, Vascular Plant Collection
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Arizona State University Vascular Plant Herbarium
- USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database
- University of Alabama Biodiversity and Systematics, Herbarium
- Utah Valley State College
- , Utah Valley State College Herbarium
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 1
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-19102
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13731557
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:56403-3
- GRIN Nomen Number: 23061
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 19102
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 584318-1
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PDMOR0C010
- U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: TOPO2
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 13708
Footnotes
- Zhengyi Wu, Zhe-Kun Zhou & Michael G. Gilbert "Moraceae". in Flora of China Vol. 5 Page 21. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- "Maclura". in Flora of North America Vol. 3. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- "Maclura pomifera". in Flora of North America Vol. 3. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- Mean = 268.130 meters (879.692 feet), Standard Deviation = 266.150 based on 851 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
