Osage Orange
BOTANICAL NAME
Maclura pomifera of the Family Moraceae
Osage orange is unique in that it is monotypic, a genus with only one species, (Maclura pomifera) although at one time there were many species of Maclura. It is a member of the Breadfruit family.
COMMON NAMES
Osage orange, bois d’arc, bodark, bowdark, bow wood, hedge apple, mock orange, prairie hedgeplant, yellowwood, Osage
The trees originally grew in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, and the tree takes its name and its identity from its early use for making archery bows and war clubs by the Osage Indians, who occupied the area.
the “orange” in its name refers to its very distinctive greenish-yellow fruit that loosely resembles an orange in shape and texture, but is, in fact, neither orange in color nor edible.
According to Donald Culross Peattie, author of the book A Natural History of Western Trees, the early French explorers called it bois d’arc, which means bow wood, and somewhere along the line the wood also picked up the name Bowdark.
TREE
Can grow as tall as 60 feet but generally are much shorter. Logs are usually 6 to 8 feet long and 12 to 16 inches in diameter. It is a deciduous tree that grows in the southern and central United States. Its wood is similar to locust, and its primary assets are its strength and resilience — features which led to its early use by local Indians for bows.
COLOR
Vivid lemon-yellow to yellowish-orange color, sometimes greenish yellow. Over time the color will mellow from a bright yellow to a more golden yellow or honey/tan. Outstanding for contrast in laminations.
GRAIN
Tight grain, but thin sheets tend to snap easily along the grain if pressured. May have strong and interesting, but not really exotic, grain patterns.