osage orange
Maclura pomifera
USDA zones4 to 9
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles dry to wet soil
Size30 to 60 feet tall30 to 60 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Green
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Osage orange (Maclura pomifera) is a tree for hedges, privacy screens, and meadow plantings. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full sun to part shade and dry to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. It grows fast and has stout thorns, so give it room. Deer and rabbits tend to pass it by. Male and female flowers grow on separate trees, so only some trees bear the inedible green fruit.
Pairs well with Blue wild indigo, Buffalo grass, and Blue sage.
Native range
AL, AR, CA, CO, and 35 more places. See all 39
AL, AR, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, and WV.