Hedge apples ~ Osage Orange ~ Maclura pomifera by Steve Renich

GigaPan; Canon SD850 4x optica...

This image shows the fruit of the Osage Orange tree. The gnarly tree on the right of the image is the source for a portion of this fruit the remainder borne of nearby trees. This is not a natural collecting of the fruit but is a result of groundskeeper?s efforts to keep the links clear. A clue to the nature of the area is within the pile of apples. These trees while not native to Kansas are now common, often grown in a hedgerow along field edges for erosion control having been introduced in the 30's. The branches sport thorns with a long lasting painful bite. The wood is dense, a high btu firewood albeit with sparks. It is naturally decay resistant and is used as fence posts with a lifespan of many years. The wood is dark in color with a rich hue but difficult to work.