A thing I didn't know existed until today: the "Osage Orange," although it is more closely related to mulberries than oranges. It looks like a zombie brain, is the size of a softball, and apparently is not at all uncommon, so apparently I've lived a sheltered life.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera
Comments
*Avocado was another, but humans cultivate that.
#PaleoSky
I loaded up a wood stove with it once and am lucky I didn't burn down the house. The sides began to glow white hot and warped before it was finished burning. Use a small stick in Oak and it is amazing.
Didn't see spiders, so just maybe?... 🤷🏽♂️
They come off Bois d’arc trees, as they are called there.
😈
https://texashomesteader.com/the-beautiful-bois-darc-tree/
In Anglophone Canada we have a lot of consensus pronunciations of French words; I'm curious as to what Texans settled upon.
I moved to Austin at a certain point and didn't really see them anymore. But farmers & ranchers love them up in north central. Very useful tree.
(Also--they leaf out late.)
Also used for wagon wheels for the same reason.
If I ever get some osage for wood working it looks like I should save the shavings / sawdust...
They planted long lines of them here in Kansas after the Dust Bowl.
They were meant to act as windbreaks to help keep the soil in place.
More recently, with the advent of modern farming , the soil loss due to wind is greatly reduced and the (water-sucking) trees are being uprooted.
(awesome play-pretend props)
I once had a kid tell me that’s literally true, and there are a bunch of dead monkeys up in the tree.
[googles] Hey, jackfruit *are* part of the mulberry family too!