﻿Trees of New York State 209 



MORACEAE 



Madura poniifera (Raf.) Schn. [Toxvlon pomiferuin Raf. ; Madura aurantiaca 



Xutt.] 



Osage Orange 



Habit — A tree of medium size, Avithin its natural range sometimes 50-60 feet 

 in height A\-ith a trunk diameter of 2-3 feet, in New York State usually 

 much smaller, often a large shrub. Trunk short, dividing a few feet from 

 the ground into stout, ascending branches, the lower arching to form an 

 open, rather irregular, round-topped head. 



Leaves — Alternate, narrowly ovate to oblong-lanceolate, 3-5 inches long, 2-3 

 inches wide, acuminate at the apex, rounded or somewhat cordate at the 

 base, entire, at maturity thick, firm, dark green and lustrous above, paler, 

 dull and slightly pubescent on the midribs below, borne on slender pubes- 

 cent petioles l%-2 inches long which exude a milky juice when broken. 



Flowers — Appearing during May and June when the leaves are about two- 

 thirds grown, dioecious, the staminate in stout, globose, long-stalked 

 racemes from the axils of the leaves crowded on short spurs, the pistillate 

 sessile in short-stalked, dense, globose, many-flowered heads axillary on 

 shoots of the year. Staminate flower slender-pedicelled. Calyx campanu- 

 late, pubescent •^^^thout, divided to the middle into 4 acute lobes. Sta- 

 mens 4, inserted opposite the calyx-lobes, becoming exserted abruptly at 

 anthesis. Calyx of pistillate flower obovate, pubescent above, cleft to the 

 base into 4 oblong, thick, concave lobes which are longer than the ovarv 

 and closely invest it, becoming fleshy and persisting in the fruit. Pistil 

 consisting of an ovate, sessile, flattened, glabrous, green ovary surmounted 

 by a long filiform style covered witli white stigmatic hairs. 



Fruit — A multiple, short-stalked, spherical, yellomsh green syncarp, 4-5 

 inches in diameter sculptured on the surface by the persistent, fleshy peri- 

 anth-tips, enclosing in its milky pulp the oblong, compressed, pale chest- 

 nut-brown seeds. 



Winter characters — Twigs stout, tough, flexible, smooth, pale orange-brown, 

 the more \igorous armed with stout, straight, axillary spines, the older 

 twigs unarmed but bearing short, spur-like branches. Pith thick, orange- 

 colored. Terminal bud absent. Lateral buds alternate, blunt, small, pale 

 chestnut-brown and ciliate, party immersed in the bark. Mature bark 

 thick, dark orange-colored, deeply furrowed. 



Habitat — In its natural range, preferring rich moist bottom-lands. Grown 

 in the east under a variety of conditions as a hedge plant. 



Range — Southern Arkansas and Oklahoma south into northern Louisiana and 

 eastern Texas. Extensively planted in eastern United States as a 

 hedge plant. Zones B and C. 



Uses — Of no commercial importance in New York State. Wood heavy, very 

 hard and strong, coarse-grained, durable, bright orange on fresh section 

 with thin, pale sapwood. Used for fence posts, railroad ties, wheel hubs, 

 and as a source of a yellow dye. The tree makes a good hedge plant if 

 kept trimmed. 



