Osage-orange

This is the fallen fruit of the Osage-orange, a tree commonly found in old fence rows.  When I see this fruit, I always think of Mammoths and Ground Sloths, two members of the megafauna that used to roam this area until their extinction nearly 10,000 years ago.  These large herbivores were the last species to utilize the fruit as a food source and were the primary dispersal mechanism for the seeds.

Osage-orange produces an abundance of seed inside the fleshy fruits.  The large herbivores would eat these fruits whole and pass most of the seeds undamaged through their digestive systems.  The animals would then wander around dropping the seeds with their dung.  In this way, the trees were spread across the landscape.

A few modern mammals are attracted by Osage-orange fruits, but it’s not really the fruit they are after.  Most of these animals, such as squirrels, are seed predators that actually open and eat the seeds.  Empty seed coats are all that remain of seeds that will have no chance of being dispersed.

The actual flesh of the fruit is left behind to decompose.

At the time of European colonization, Osage-orange was only found in the Red River Watershed region of eastern Texas.  The trees found here today were introduced and are not considered native to this area.  Since the tree was spread so easily by large prehistoric herbivores, I wonder if Osage-orange might have had a much broader range during the Pleistocene when the megafauna were so common and widespread.  I haven’t read anything that suggests such an idea, but I think it’s a possibility.  Osage-orange may have actually grown on this spot in the far distant past.

Osage-orange was commonly planted as a living fence.  Its tight growth, along with the presence of some strong thorns, helped to keep livestock contained within the field.

Their habit of spreading limbs far out into the field, caused Osage-orange to be removed by many farmers who didn’t want to be raked from their tractor seat by the thorny branches.  There are only a few of these trees growing at Blue Jay Barrens.  Most show signs of having been cut at some time in the past, most likely for use as fence posts.  Despite the fact that the seeds are viable and easily germinated, the trees are not spreading into the fields, so they don’t currently fall into the invasive category.  For now, I’ll leave the trees alone and keep imagining that a herd of Mammoths has gathered around the tree to eat fruit.

Osage-orange

I seem to have a reputation for killing anything that’s not native. I do spend a lot of time removing those exotic species that have a negative impact on the native ecosystem, but I don’t destroy everything just because this wasn’t its original home. The tree that bore this fruit is the Osage-orange, Maclura pomifera, a good example of a non-native species that I appreciate.

While these fruits are produced in profusion, there’s only a slim chance of the seeds or root sprouts producing any new trees. Because of this, there is little concern of this tree suddenly taking over the countryside.

Few animals seem inclined to struggle through the outer fruit to get at the seeds. Squirrels will occasionally take the time to open these things up. Of course, squirrels seem to enjoy ripping things apart for only a tiny reward. I’m just surprised they didn’t bother to drag it into my yard for dismantling like they do so many other things.

If you find one of these trees, it’s most likely that the tree was planted in that spot. This is a tree that ties to our old farm heritage and was planted because it had value to the farmer. This tree is sometimes called the Hedge Apple and used to be a primary component of the farm hedge row. Osage-orange trees were planted closely spaced in single rows as a field division. Once they grew together, they made an effective livestock barrier.

These thorns are one of the reasons the trees could hold livestock. The thorny branches were a type of natural barb wire.

Wood of the Osage-orange is very rot resistant and was used extensively for fence posts. After being cut, the stump would sprout and produce more posts. The stumps show that this tree was cut pretty high on the trunk. There is a little surface decomposition on the stumps, but the wood is still hard and strong and is impeding the growth of the sprouts. There are a couple of old Osage-orange corner posts at Blue Jay Barrens that may have come from this tree.

Farmers trying to maintain a steady growth of good fence posts would thin the clump of sprouts to encourage tall straight growth. You’re not going to get any good posts out of a tangled mess like this.

If the trunk isn’t straight, you can’t really expect the upper branches to be much better. This tangle reminds me of Medusa’s hair.

This is the type of tree that makes a good post. Annual harvest of new posts to be used in fence repair was a standard practice on farms in the early 1900’s.

Osage-orange has a rather handsome bark. It displays a nice orange color down at the bottom of the fissures.