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Osage Orange

Maclura pomifera

Other common name(s):

Bois D’Arc, Bodark, Horse Apple, Hedge Apple, Bowwood, Yellowwood, Naranjo Chino, Monkey Brains

Family:

Moraceae (Mulberry Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Chihuahuan Basins and Playas, Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands, Low Mountains and Bajadas, Stockton Plateau
Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift
Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Canadian/Cimarron Breaks
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Tree

Height

20
to
40
ft.

Spread

20
to
40
ft.

Leaf Retention

Evergreen

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Loam, Clay

Light Requirement

Sun

Water Requirement

Medium

Native Habitat

Grassland, Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Green

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Fruit

Wildlife Benefit

Birds

Maintenance

Prune to shape.

Comments

Medium-sized, thorny tree with short, often crooked trunk; broad, rounded or irregular crown of spreading branches; thorns at base of some leaves and milky sap. Fruit large, green, resembling an orange or grapefruit and containing a milky sap, inedible. Male and female flowers on separate trees, so fruits not on all trees. Birds eat the fruit
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym(s): Ioxylon pomiferum, Toxylon pomiferum

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MAPO. 3) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Maclura+pomifera&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=15134&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 5) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=19102#null

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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