Osage Orange

This medium-sized tree has a short trunk and rounded crown. It produces large fruit (8-15 cm in diameter) which is roughly spherical, bumpy, and turns bright yellow-green in the fall. The tree is not related to the Orange tree, and its common name refers to the coloration of its bark and the superficial resemblance of its fruit to an orange rather than any genetic relationship. While the wild-type tree does bear inedible, grapefruit-sized fruit which is most closely related to a fig, the ‘White Shield’ cultivar does not bear fruit. This fruitless variety is generally chosen to be planted alongs trees and sidewalks where the fruit will not become an impediment to the walkway. It is also thornless, and has better heat and drought tolerance compared to the species tree.

Common Name	Osage Orange
Latin Name	Malclura pomifera
Indigenous Name(s)
Cultivar/Variety	White Shield
Commercial Name

More about Tree #45:

Where to find Arbor Walk #45

Data on the space around this tree

Data on this tree over time

More about the Osage Orange in general:

How to identify an Osage Orange

Relationship of Malclura pomifera to other species in the Arboretum

Global Distribution of the Osage Orange

Additional Resources on the Osage Orange