Hedge Tree, Osage Orange, and Bois d’arc are names that all point to the same tree. The most common name is Osage orange because the tree was originally named after the Osage Native American tribe in Oklahoma and Western Arkansas.
Osage orange trees are medium- to large, gnarly-looking trees with scattered thorns that produce grapefruit-sized green fruit known as hedgeapples. These hedgeapples ripen and fall from the trees in September and October.
The trees tolerate the poor rocky soil found in the Ozarks, and are one of the toughest woods in the area, known for not shrinking or swelling. This has made them popular as fence posts and for making furniture. Osage orange wood has also been used for centuries in bows due to its unique characteristics…