The hedgeapple, an often-overlooked fruit, piques curiosity due to its distinctive appearance. While many encounter these unusual orbs, their true nature and potential uses remain a mystery. This fruit possesses a rich history and unique characteristics.
What Exactly is a Hedgeapple?
A hedgeapple is the fruit of the Maclura pomifera tree, commonly known as the Osage orange. This tree is native to the south-central United States, particularly the Red River drainage of Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas. Despite its common names, the fruit is not a true apple or orange, but a member of the mulberry family (Moraceae).
The fruit is easily recognizable by its lumpy, wrinkled, and somewhat brain-like surface. It is typically a bright yellow-green color and can range in size from 3 to 6 inches in diameter, often compared to a softball or grapefruit. When cut or damaged, the hedgeapple exudes a sticky, milky white sap that can be irritating. Other common names for this fruit and tree include horse apple, monkey ball, bodark, and bois d’arc.
Historical and Practical Applications
The wood of the Maclura pomifera is renowned for its strength, density, and flexibility. Native American tribes, particularly the Osage, highly prized this wood for crafting bows, leading to the French name “bois d’arc” (“wood of the bow”). Its durability and rot-resistant properties also made it ideal for wagon wheels, fence posts, and tool handles.
Before barbed wire, Osage orange trees were planted to create “living fences” or hedgerows around farms. Their dense, thorny branches formed effective barriers for livestock. The heartwood also contains maclurin, a strong yellow pigment used to produce natural dyes for textiles, including military uniforms during World War I.
A popular belief persists that hedgeapples repel insects, with many people placing them in homes to deter pests like spiders and cockroaches. While scientific studies have identified compounds within the fruit that exhibit insect repellent properties in concentrated extracts, the whole fruit itself has not been scientifically proven to be an effective repellent in a household setting.
Understanding Its Safety and Edibility
Despite its common names, the hedgeapple is not recommended for human consumption. Its tough texture, unpalatable taste, and milky sap can cause mild irritation if ingested or if skin comes into contact with it.
Most animals also tend to avoid the hedgeapple due to its undesirable qualities. However, squirrels are known to tear apart the fruit to access the seeds within, and horses have been observed consuming the fruit. Cattle can face a risk of choking if they attempt to eat the large, firm fruit, as its size can become lodged in their throats.