Osage orange whip - 1 year

Some of you had expressed interest in trying an Osage orange - Maclura pomifera. Recall mine:



In 2010 I ordered several 2-year-old seedlings from www.musserforests.com. They arrived in April 2011. They were about the size of the chopstick in the picture below. That is one of those tiny seedlings after a year in a pot. Musser says they are fast growing trees, but this is really fast.

JIM ,, That is a nice looking tree!! How old is big one?? some times you can see these in the spring up here..is it not a inside tree in winter ?? Looks good and they must grow fast... take care john

This is NOT a citrus!

It can take 10 below zero and love it.

The big one has been a bonsai for a number of years.

They definitely grow wild at home (where they're called "hedge apples" by anyone not into botanical stuff); home is zone 5.

Thank you for giving me a dream comes from the other side of the globe

My favorite local arboretum has these as Massive mature specimens, every fall their lawn looks like someone left lime green bocce balls all over the place.
-Jay

Take some cuttings, if they'll let you. They'll sprout.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the rest of what I ordered. I'm trying to fuse the trunks on 3 of them, and then there are two like this one, and 3-4 more. Maybe out in the yard somewhere?

Hi Jim, that is a really nice Osage! I wanted to work one for a long time.

Growing up in SE Pa. our drive was lined with these trees. Many bloody memories of climbing these thorny trees, gathering fruit for the annual 'War of the Osage'. Every fall we would all gather the fruits, chose sides and throw them at each other. I especially favored the slightly over-ripe oranges that would explode on impact with a good side-arm toss.

I don't see any thorns on your tree. Do you cut them off?

The wood is a favored bow wood due to its high resilience. Does this make it difficult to wire?

One more question. Only the females produce 'oranges', are the seedlings you get sexed? I can only get older ones that are certified males and I'd like to start a grove of younger starts. Do you think they will air-layer well? If so I could get a big one and break it down. They are 5'-6' and about $60US.

Thanks for posting this, you've renewed my interest in an old familiar friend, Rick

RKatzin wrote:Hi Jim, that is a really nice Osage! I wanted to work one for a long time.

Growing up in SE Pa. our drive was lined with these trees. Many bloody memories of climbing these thorny trees, gathering fruit for the annual 'War of the Osage'. Every fall we would all gather the fruits, chose sides and throw them at each other. I especially favored the slightly over-ripe oranges that would explode on impact with a good side-arm toss.

I had them along the drive in Fla. They never bloomed, so I assume mine were all male.

I don't see any thorns on your tree. Do you cut them off?

YES! I always miss several, though so getting poked is a distinct likelihood. The thorns on the Musser trees are larger than those on my bonsai specimen.

The wood is a favored bow wood due to its high resilience. Does this make it difficult to wire?

Up to #2 pencil size, they wire just fine. Above that, you'll need thick, strong wire. My wife is a sculptor. She loves to find Osage orange longs to work with. Big ones are almost impossible to find. I've ruined at least one chain saw blade on them.

One more question. Only the females produce 'oranges', are the seedlings you get sexed? I can only get older ones that are certified males and I'd like to start a grove of younger starts. Do you think they will air-layer well? If so I could get a big one and break it down. They are 5'-6' and about $60US.

The Musser Forests catalog mentions the fruits, so I assume both sexes are represented. They grow easily from cuttings, so I also assume layers are very possible. You can get 100 2-year-old seedlings (6-12 inches) from Musser for $70, or 25 for $27.

Thanks for posting this, you've renewed my interest in an old familiar friend, Rick

Enjoy.

Here's a current pic.

Jim, I have a question for you. I'm growing a few of these from seeds, and as I've transplanted them to the ground, I've noticed that the roots and other parts of the tree that grow below the soil are a very bright orange-yellow color. Does this change over time, or do they always stay this color?

Roots are always orange -- as is the bark. That's another reason, I think, for the common name. The bark, however, does fade from the weather, but if you clean it up, the orange reappears.

My little whips have grown, but as I'm just this minute back from a 2-day 800-mile drive (by myself) my brain isn't functioning well enough to find and post any pictures.