cerophyl
This is an Osage Orange tree.
The wood is very hard and does not rot easily. It makes great fence posts. The Native Americans used the wood for making strong bows and arrows. The fruit is sometimes called "hedge apples," but you would not want to eat them. They are the size of softballs and bigger, and the fruit is bad tasting and sticky like glue. Some say that if you put them in your basement, they will cause spiders to leave. Other than that, I know of no commercial purpose for them even though, in our area, there are tons of them. Most trees are female and grow the "fruit," but the males grow quite large with lots of leaves that make them great shade trees. The males produce only pollen so there is no clean up and no need to haul away all those sticky green balls!
This is an Osage Orange tree.
The wood is very hard and does not rot easily. It makes great fence posts. The Native Americans used the wood for making strong bows and arrows. The fruit is sometimes called "hedge apples," but you would not want to eat them. They are the size of softballs and bigger, and the fruit is bad tasting and sticky like glue. Some say that if you put them in your basement, they will cause spiders to leave. Other than that, I know of no commercial purpose for them even though, in our area, there are tons of them. Most trees are female and grow the "fruit," but the males grow quite large with lots of leaves that make them great shade trees. The males produce only pollen so there is no clean up and no need to haul away all those sticky green balls!