Maclura pomifera
Maclura pomifera, commonly called
Osage orange,
hedge apple,
horse apple,
monkey ball,
bois d'arc,
bodark, or
bodock is a small deciduous tree or large shrub, typically growing to 8–15 metres tall. It is a Carolinian species. It is dioecious, with male and female flowers on different plants. The fruit from a multiple fruit family, is roughly spherical, but bumpy, and 7.6–15.2 centimetres in diameter. It is filled with a sticky white latex. In fall, its color turns a bright yellow-green. It is not closely related to the orange:
Maclura belongs to the mulberry family Moraceae, while oranges belong to the family Rutaceae.
Maclura is closely related to the genus
Cudrania, and hybrids between the two genera have been produced. In fact, some botanists recognize a more broadly defined
Maclura that includes species previously included in
Cudrania and other genera of Moraceae. Osajin and pomiferin are flavonoid pigments present in the wood and fruit, comprising about 10% of the fruit's dry weight. The plant also contains the flavonol morin.