Osage Orange

Osage Orange

“Osage Orange tree can grow to 50+ feet in height.

Despite the name, it is not related to the orange. The fruit ripens from September to October and resembles an orange that weighs more than a kilogram.

Previously, it was planted as a field hedge, before barbed wire became available and to stabilize soils and control erosion. Its ease of planting, tolerance of alkaline soil, resistance to drought, long life and resistance to injury by ice, wind, insects and diseases make it a valuable landscape tree.

The largest tree is located at River Farm, Alexandria in Virginia, USA. It is believed to have been a gift from Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the USA.