Maclura pomifera

"Bois d'arc" redirects here. For other uses, see Bois d'arc (disambiguation).

Osage orange
Foliage and multiple fruit

Secure  (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Moraceae
Genus: Maclura
Species:
M. pomifera
Binomial name
Maclura pomifera
(Raf.) Schneid.
Synonyms[3][4]
  • Ioxylon pomiferum Raf.
  • Joxylon pomiferum Raf.
  • Maclura aurantiaca Nutt.
  • Maclura pomifera var. inermis C.K.Schneid.
  • Toxylon aurantiacum (Nutt.) Raf.
  • Toxylon maclura Raf.
  • Toxylon pomiferum Raf.

Maclura pomifera, commonly known as the Osage orange (/ˈoʊseɪdʒ/ OH-sayj), is a small deciduous tree or large shrub, native to the south-central United States. It typically grows about 8 to 15 metres (30–50 ft) tall. The distinctive fruit, a multiple fruit, is roughly spherical, bumpy, 8 to 15 centimetres (3–6 in) in diameter, and turns bright yellow-green in the fall.[5] The fruits secrete a sticky white latex when cut or damaged. Despite the name "Osage orange",[6] it is not related to the orange.[7] It is a member of the mulberry family, Moraceae.[8] Due to its latex secretions and woody pulp, the fruit is typically not eaten by humans and rarely by foraging animals. Ecologists Daniel H. Janzen and Paul S. Martin proposed in 1982 that the fruit of this species might be an example of what has come to be called an evolutionary anachronism—that is, a fruit coevolved with a large animal seed dispersal partner that is now extinct. This hypothesis is controversial.[9][10]

Maclura pomifera has many names, including mock orange, hedge apple, hedge, monkey ball, pap, monkey brains and yellow-wood. The name bois d'arc (from French meaning "bow-wood") has also been corrupted into bodark and bodock.[11][12][13]

  1. ^ Stritch, L. (2018). "Maclura pomifera". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T61886714A61886723. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T61886714A61886723.en. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  2. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  3. ^ "Maclura pomifera (Raf.) C.K. Schneid". Tropicos. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  4. ^ "The Plant List". The Plant List. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  5. ^ Boggs, Joe (October 15, 2021). "Bois D'Arc". Buckeye Yard & Garden Online. Ohio State University. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  6. ^ Wynia, Richard L. (March 2011). "Plant fact sheet: Osage orange, Maclura pomifera (Rafin.)" (PDF). US Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  7. ^ Jesse, Laura; Lewis, Donald (October 24, 2014). "Hedge Apples for Home Pest Control?". Horticulture & Home Pest News. Iowa State University of Science and Technology. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  8. ^ Wayman, Dave (March 1985). "The Osage Orange Tree: Useful and Historically Significant". Mother Earth News. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  9. ^ Murphy, Serena (2018). "Seed Dispersal in Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera) by Squirrels (Sciurus spp.)". American Midland Naturalist. 180 (2): 312–317. doi:10.1674/0003-0031-180.2.312. S2CID 92491077.
  10. ^ Sinnott-Armstrong, Miranda A.; Deanna, Rocio; Pretz, Chelsea; Liu, Sukuan; Harris, Jesse C.; Dunbar-Wallis, Amy; Smith, Stacey D.; Wheeler, Lucas C. (March 2022). "How to approach the study of syndromes in macroevolution and ecology". Ecology and Evolution. 12 (3): e8583. Bibcode:2022EcoEv..12E8583S. doi:10.1002/ece3.8583. ISSN 2045-7758. PMC 8928880. PMID 35342598.
  11. ^ "Maclura pomifera". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  12. ^ Bobick, James (2004). The Handy Biology Answer Book. Detroit, Michigan: Visible Ink Press. p. 178. ISBN 1578593034. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  13. ^ Wynia, Richard (March 2011). "Plant fact sheet for Osage orange (Maclura pomifera)" (PDF). Manhattan, Kansas: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Manhattan Plant Materials Center. Retrieved December 16, 2015.