True Root Nursery

Osage Orange Seedling Bareroot

Species: Maclura pomifera

History: Osage Orange is originally native to a small portion of Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. It was first introduced to European colonizers in the early 1800s by the Osage Nation, hence the name of the tree, who prized it for its use in making bows. It was then widely planted across the US in hedgerows thanks to the dense, thorny hedges it forms when pruned that were impenetrable to livestock. It was in fact one of the primary trees included in President Franklin Roosevelt's Great Plains Shelterbelt project which started in 1934 and by 1942 had resulted in 220 million trees being planted. The hard, rot-resistant, yellow wood was also useful for making fence posts, tool handles, and dye.

Why We Grow It: Although the fruit produced by the Osage Orange is not considered edible, this tree has plenty of other uses! It is still commonly planted as an ornamental tree and the bright yellow inner wood adds an extra level of appeal.

$15.50

Size

140 in stock

Fruit Traits:

Recommended Use: Ornamental, hedgerow, coppicing, wood for tool handles and fences, firewood

Fruit Size: Green

Storage:

Harvest: September

Cider Class (if applicable):

Tree Traits:

Canadian Hardiness Zone: 4

Soil Preferance: Prefers dry soils but adaptable to a wide variety of conditions

Flowering Time: Spring

Bloom Colour: Green

Pollination Requirements: Male and female trees are required to produce fruit

Sun/Shade Requirements: Full sun (approx. 8-10 hours of sun daily)

General Growth Habit: Tree generally reaches 12-20m tall, very thorny. Generally free of insect pests and diseases. Harvest September to October.

Overall Disease Resistance Rating*:

*this rating is combined with our experience growing in our test orchards combined with already available information on the cultivar.

Shipping: Every year we ship thousands of plants across Canada. We carefully bag roots in damp sawdust, then box them and send them out via courier. CLICK HERE to see our shipping policy.

Pick-up: We also have thousands of trees picked up from our nursery each year. The pick-up options is free, though you must wait until you have been emailed a confirmation that your order is ready to pick up, which will have further information such as hours, locations, etc.

We have simplified our crop inventory for grafted fruit trees into two sizes:

1m+ Grade: this often has some feathering, and is measured including the rootstock.

50-80cm Grade: this is like a 'b-grade' tree, sometimes with minor scaring or bent, these trees are priced accordingly.

Osage Orange Seedling

Osage Orange Seedling Bareroot

$15.50

$15.50

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