366 



TREES. 



polished ; indeed it is of a bright varnished green. It grows lux- 

 uriantly, about thirty or forty feet high, with a wide and spread- 

 ing head. The flow- 

 ers are small and 

 inconspicuous, pale 

 green in color, those 

 preceding the fruit 

 resembling a little 

 ball, (see figure)* 

 The fruit itself is 

 very near the size 

 and shape of an 

 orange, yellow at 

 full maturity, and 

 rough on the out- 

 side, not unlike the 

 seed of the button- 

 wood or sycamore. 

 It hangs till Octo- 

 ber, is not eatable, 

 but is striking and 

 ornamental on a 

 large tree. This 

 tree was first intro- 

 duced into our gar- 

 dens, where it is 

 now well known, 

 from a village of 

 the Osage Indians, 

 which, coupled with 

 its general appear- 

 ance, gave rise to 

 its popular name. The wood is full of milky sap, and we have 

 never seen it attacked by any insects. 



A great many trials have been made within the last ten years, 



Fig. 2. The Osage Orange. 



* The male and female flowers are borne on separate trees. 



