A
Brief History of the Osage orange (Maclura pomifera)
“Osage-orange
is…picturesque rather than beautiful, and possess[es] strong form, texture, and
character.” -J.D. Burton
Also known
as hedge apple, bois-d’arc, horse apple, naranjo chino, among other names, the
osage orange is a rather new tree in my experience. Osage orange (Maclura
pomifera) is a member of Moraceae, the fig and mulberry family. Throughout this
past autumn, their fruit have spattered the roadways and sparked much conversation,
and they appear to be rooted firmly into North American history. I would like
to spend a few minutes sharing it.
The wood of
the osage orange said to be exceptionally resistant to decay, and has been the
preferred wood for fencing for quite some time. The trees were often planted as
living fences before barbed wire was invented in 1874 (in Illinois, by the way).
The wood also has traditionally been used to make the bow and arrow by the
Osage Indians and by other Plains tribes. Currently in Illinois, osage orange
is being planted to remediate soil near old strip mines.
I have been
perusing online discussion forums on Dave’s Garden (http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54097/) about Maclura pomifera, and
am struck by the sheer amount of people sharing fond childhood memories of the
tree, whether it is something like ‘Grandma put hedge apples in every bottom
cupboard in the house to repel spiders,’ or that the tree is the best shade
tree in Texas, or that someone’s osage orange fence posts from the 1930’s have
yet to rot…you might think the tree is Grandma’s rather eccentric yet lovable
cousin, the way these folks are talking about it.
Part of my
recent holiday in Tennessee was spent hurling osage fruits against rocks in an
attempt to split them open. While the fruit did not
break initially, it did allow us to pry it open to uncover a wild, milky
melon-like broccoli floretted fruit. The milky sap is very sticky and can cause
dermatitis in some individuals, according to Louise Riotte in Carrots Love Tomatoes. The fruit can be
made into an antibacterial soap, hand salve, or used as decoration in the home.
It was also used as a fabric dye to color khaki uniforms during the first World
War. Interestingly, though it appears to have medicinal applications, osage
orange rarely appears in the various herbals I’ve looked in.
For
more information on osage orange, check out this fabulous comprehensive article
on the web: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/maclura/pomifera.htm
I recently attempted my first salve making endeavor off a variation of this osage orange salve recipe I found on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151269383425909&set=a.10151269383180909.487906.227120805908&type=1&theater.
I used a blend of apricot kernel and almond oils, beeswax, and osage orange pulp, and it turned out pretty well! It's been working for moisturizing dry hands, and I've also applied it to a rough spot on my dog's lower back, in which it seems to be speeding the healing process.
