VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Maclura pomifera | Osage-Orange 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
Osage-orange wood is hard, durable, and resistant to decay.  It is
primarily used for fence posts [4,24].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Osage-orange provides shelter and cover for wildlife.  Small mammals and
birds use the thorny tree for cover.  The bitter-tasting, fleshy fruit
is generally not eaten, but some animals including squirrel, fox, red
crossbill, and northern bobwhite occasionally eat the seeds
[4,14,24,34].  Seedlings and sprouts are browsed occasionally [4].
Downy woodpeckers use osage-orange as forage sites [10].


PALATABILITY : 
Osage-orange fruit and browse are generally not palatable [4,33,34].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
The fleshy fruit of osage-orange is more than 80 percent digestible [25].


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Osage-orange is used for soil stabilization and strip mine reclamation
[3,4,32].  It is adapted to most surface mine conditions but does better
in less acidic, well-drained mine soils.  It has a lower soil pH limit
of 4.5.  Osage-orange had a 33 percent survival rate 30 years after
planting on mine soils in Illinois and Indiana, and a 39 percent
survival rate after 30 years on mine soils in Ohio [32].  Osage-orange
is sensitive to soil compaction [4].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Early settlers of the Great Plains used osage-orange for hedgerows.  The
diffuse, thorny branches form impenetrable hedges which were used to
fence in livestock [24].

Osage-orange wood extractives are used for food processing, pesticide
manufacturing, and dye making.  The Osage Indians used the wood for dye
and bows.  The strong-smelling fruit repels cockroaches [24].

Osage-orange is planted as an ornamental.  There is an unusual thornless
male form which is clonally propagated [19].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Osage-orange is planted in shelterbelts and hedgerows of the Great
Plains.  It is planted alone or in a row adjacent to a row of evergreens
or taller hardwoods [34].  Osage-orange hedges are maintained as fences
by pruning [24].  While a favorite of the past, osage-orange hedgerows
are now replaced with species that provide more benefit to wildlife
[14].  Osage-orange is recommended for planting on deep, moist,
permeable soils and medium to shallow upland silty-clayey loams, sandy
loams, and loamy sands.  It is not recommended for sandhills or wet,
poorly drained soils [21].

Osage-orange hedges are often clearcut for posts.  Winter cuttings
produce the most vigorous stump sprouts which regenerate the hedge [27].
Three to five years after clearcutting, the new sprout stands should be
thinned to 240 stems per 100 meters.  The sprouts are susceptible to
fire and grazing [4].

Osage-orange is generally resistant to disease and insects; the only
serious affliction is cotton root rot (Phymatotrichum omnivorum) [4,22].
Eastern mistletoe (Phoradendron serotinum) occasionally parasitizes
osage-orange [8].

Hamel [9] describes herbicide application rates, methods, and seasons
for osage-orange control.  Triclopyr or picloram, applied with a
chainsaw girdling treatment, are effective against osage-orange [17].
Launchbaugh and Owensby [12] describe preferred osage-orange herbicide
control methods for Kansas.

Related categories for Species: Maclura pomifera | Osage-Orange