Ralph Muhs said:
Osage Orange! We called it Hedge because my ancestors planted the thorny stuff along boundary lines ....
"Horse high, hog tight, and bull stout."
I live in the original north american
Osage Belt. Down here most folks wouldn't know what you were referring to if you called it hedge or osage. We call it Bois d' Arc. Pronounced bo dark. The french gave it that name which means "wood of the bow" because the they observed that native American Indians used the wood for their bows.
It's prolific down here. One cannot drive a mile in any direction without seeing them all over. Most older homes that were built before modern pier and beam concrete foundations used bois 'd arc stumps. There are countless homes that are still standing on them to this day.
If fact I was recently contacted by a museum curator inquiring about buying some because the museum is putting together a section showing and old homestead built using materials of the day. One of my favorite species. No fun falling the trees though.
Thanks!
