Seed Availability

Seeds are now available at our seed store.

Description

A tough, hardy tree, growing to 20-40ft. Trees are deciduous and dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate trees. The round fruits can grow up to 4-6", with a bumpy skin and tough, inedible pulp that contains some latex. The fruits do have a pleasant aromatic smell of oranges. A single "fruit" is actually a collection of dozens of tiny fruits, a common trait to the mulberry family. One oddity is that the fruits don't seem to have any natural dispersal agents as few animals show interest in eating them. This has led some to hypothesize the Osage Orange was once part of the diet of extinct Pleistocene mammals such as the giant ground sloth and mammoth.

Hardiness

Very hardy, to well below 0F.

Growing Environment

The tree is very tough and hardy, once established it needs little attention. Water moderately if growing in drought-prone regions.

Propagation

By seeds.

Uses

The tree is sometimes planted as an ornamental for its odd fruits. The most popular use for the tree is as a windbreak. Through the 1800's and 1900's, tens of thousands of Osage Oranges were planted throughout the United States for this purpose. Oil extracted from the fruit is being investigated as an insect repellant.

Native Range

Native to parts of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana. Once uncommon in the wild, the tree has naturalized throughout much of the United States and Canada.

Related Species

Moraceae
	Artocarpus altilis Breadfruit		Artocarpus anisophyllus Entawak
	Artocarpus heterophyllus Jackfruit		Artocarpus hypargyraeus Kwai Muk
	Artocarpus integer Chempedak		Artocarpus kemando Pudau
	Artocarpus lakoocha Lakoocha		Artocarpus nitidus Butong
	Artocarpus odoratissimus Marang		Artocarpus rigidus Monkey Jackruit
	Artocarpus sarawakensis Pingan		Artocarpus sericicarpus Pedalai
	Brosimum alicastrum Breadnut		Brosimum gaudichaudii Mama-Cadela
	Ficus religiosa Bo Tree		Maclura pomifera Osage Orange
	Morus macroura Pakistan Mulberry		Morus nigra Black Mulberry
	Parartocarpus venenosa Parartocarpus venenosa		Pourouma cecropiaefolia Amazon Tree Grape