See Map: P 
OSAGE-ORANGE 
Maclura pomifera 
In the earliest days of the Garden, a 
carriage road connected the northwest 
corner of the grounds to Tower Grove 
House. To this day a (diminished) row of 
osage-orange trees, mostly behind the 
Climatron, reveals the course of the old 
lane. Standing by that old row and 
looking toward Tower Grove House is a 
step back in time, and provides a new 
perspective on the Garden. 
The name osage-orange is misleading 
since this species is related to figs and 
mulberries (in the Fig Family, the Mo- 
raceae) and not to oranges. Unlike a real 
orange, which is a single fruit, an osage-orange 1s a cluster or nundreds of 
small, tightly packed fruits. Such cluster fruits are characteristic of the Fig 
Family (the tiny fruits are clustered inside of figs). Another characteristic 
of the Fig Family is the presence of milky sap, but be careful checking for 
this, because it causes a rash on some people. 
The natural distribution for osage-orange is a little unclear, because 
American Indians may have planted the trees for their hard wood, and in 
more modern times osage-oranges have been used quite a lot as thick, 
thorny hedges. Its native home is probably in the south-central states, 
although the species is hardy in Michigan and New England. 
The orange wood is so hard that pounding a nail into it can be 
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