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Extension

Plant Profile 
FYUSE 3d image

Common Name: Osage Orange
Other Names: Bodark, Bowood, Hedgeapple, Horseapple, Bois d’Arc
Species Name: Maclura pomifera
Family Name: Moraceae

 
Plant Facts 
OriginNorth America
Sun PreferenceFull Sun
SusceptibilityLeaf spot, bacterial leaf spot, blights, canker, rust, aphids, Japanese beetle, mining scale, foliar nematodes
Distribution in the U.S.Throughout the country
Distribution in OklahomaThroughout the state

ID Characteristics

  • Field Identification Characteristics

    Vegetative

    • Arching branches; stout thorns and short spurs
    • Glossy dark green leaves; pointed at tip and edges smooth
    • Bark tan-brown, papery; inner bark an iconic orange

    Floral

    • Fruits huge, yellow-green, and “brain-like”
  • Leaf and Stem Characteristics
    • Plant Height: 60-foot diameter, 60-foot height
    • Growth Form: Tree 
    • Leaf Type: Simple
    • Leaf Arrangement: Alternate 
    • Leaf Blade Edge: Entire
    • Leaf Blade Length: 6-13 centimeters
  • Floral Characteristics
    • Petal Number: Absent
    • Flower Timing: May
    • Fruit Type: Multiple of nutlets
 
Habitat/Ecology 
HabitatPrairies and open woody uplands and bottomlands
Soil TypeAdapted to most soil conditions
USDA Cold Hardiness Zone
Successional StageMid
NotesVery tough native tree; tolerant of wet and dry soils, high
pH, and summer heat; stem exudes a milky sap when cut