Growth form: Fringe tree is a spiny medium sized tree typically 10-40 feet tall, with deciduous leaves and multiple drupes shaped into a big ball as flowers.
Leaves, twigs, and bark: Leaves of osage-orange are simple, alternate, and entire, typically 2 to 5 inches long, with pinnate venation and oblong shape. In fall, leaves turn bright yellow.. Twigs are pretty slender and start green then turn a orange-brown color. Bark is dark orange-brown, often with scaly ridges. Twigs are tyipcally stout with unbranched thorns at each leaf scar.
Leaves of Osage-Orange showing alternate leaf arrangement, entire margins, and oblong shape (Zell, 2009)
Osage-Orange leaf (Agosta, 2003)
Flowers: Osage-orange blooms from mid-May to June. Male flowers are globular or in short cylindrical clusters. They are green and hairy with 4 stamen and yellow anthers but have no petals. Females are in dense round clusters.
Flowers of Osage-Orange tree (Seiler, Jensen, Niemiera, and Peterson, 2019)
Fruits: Botanically, this fruit type is known as a "drupe". Each fruit is a big, round multiple of drupes 4 to 5 inches long. They smell like citrus and when crushed a white, milk consistency juice is emerged. The fruits are produced in September. Fruits mature and turn from yellow-green to bright yellow in early fall. Female trees start to bear fruit around 10 years old. The fruits are so big that if you are underneath one when it falls from the tree you can be seriously injured.
Clusters of yellow drupes of the Osage-Orange tree (Seiler, Jensen, Niemiera, and Peterson, 2019)
Native range and habitat: Fringe tree is introduced Virginia. Its habitat is in fields, fence rows, and disturbed forests. It is native in the south-central US and has been natural from plantings for hedgerows in the 18/19th centuries.
Distribution of Osage-Orange across Virginia counties (VA Botanical Associates, 2019)
Plant Family: The mulberry family is known for its alternate leaves plants with milky sap. The male flowers have either 0 or 4 sepals, 0 petals, and 4 stamen. Female flowers have 0 or 4 sepals and 0 petals. The plants have superior or inferior ovaries. The fruits of the mulberry family are known as "aggregates" meaning multiples. The most closely related species to osage-orange is fustictree (Maclura tinctoria). However, the fustictree is common in Mexico and Argentina and produces a yellow dye called fustic.
Ecologic Importance and Uses:
Edible and Medicinal Uses: Add The fruit is apparently edible but it is hard and dry. However, it does contain an anti-oxidant that can be used as a food preservative. The heartwood and root contain a non-toxic antibiotic that can be useful as a food preservative as well. Tea from the roots is known to be used for sore eyes. The fruit can also be used for cardiovascular health. The osage-orange tree is most known for its yellow dye which is obtained from the bark. The sap can also be used as an insect repellent.
Wildlife: F The osage-orange tree is important for small mammals and birds as it provides shelter and cover.
Gardens and Landscaping: Osage-orange tree is commonly used in landscaping for firewood and pest tolerance. They are hardy to about -20 degrees celsius. Seeds can be collected for propagation as soon as ripe in a cold frame.
Campus Specimens - Fringe Trees
State and national champions? The largest osage-orange tree in the country is located in Charlotte, VA.. This national champion has a trunk circumference of 328 inches, height of 65 feet, and crown spread of 93 feet. Resulting in a total of 416 points. The exact same tree is actually the Virginia state champion tree as well!
At Radford University, one osage-orange can be found on campus (highlighted grey circle below). The tree is directly surrounding the main campus water fountain which is known as the "heart" of campus.
Tree #510
Trunk circumference: 219.0 inches
Tree height: 55.0 feet
Crown spread: 85.0 feet x 72.0 feet Average = 78.5 feet
Total points: 293.6
Notes: This is the one and only osage-orange tree on Radford's Campus!
Osage-Orange #510 with myself standing next to it for reference size (Photo taken by Tim Martin on 12/6/2019)
Carey, J. (1994). Liriodendron tulipifera. Fire Effects Information System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/macpom/all.html
Elpel, T. J. (2018) Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification, Edition 6.1. Hops Press, Pony, MT.