Moraceae > Maclura (osage-orange)
Orange Co., NC
24 Sep 2011
Also known as Bow-wood and Hedge-apple, Osage-orange is native to a fairly restricted area of Arkansas, Oklahoma, & Texas, but it's been widely planted across the U.S. As the various common names indicate, it's been used to create living fences, and it's wood is superior for bow construction.
Orange Co., NC
24 Sep 2011
Leaves are simple, alternate, shiny, acuminate, and variable is size.
Orange Co., NC
24 Sep 2011
Osage Orange is a medium tree with a short, thick, dense trunk and an irregular and droopy crown.
Orange Co., NC
24 Sep 2011
Related to mulberries, the fruits are multiples of drupes and are relatively huge, larger than grapefruits!
Orange Co., NC
24 Sep 2011
Orange Co., NC
24 Sep 2011
Orange Co., NC
24 Sep 2011
Orange Co., NC
24 Sep 2011
Twigs are armed with black-tipped thorns and commonly sprout adventitiously.
Orange Co., NC
24 Sep 2011
Orange Co., NC
24 Sep 2011
Bark is orange-brown and longitudinally fissured, eventually peeling into long strips. Note all of the adventitious sprouting along this leaning trunk.