Consulta Plantas

Care of the tree Maclura pomifera or Osage orange

The genus Maclura, family Moraceae, comprises 10 species of trees native to Asia, America, Australia and Africa. Some species are: Maclura pomifera, Maclura tricuspidata, Maclura excelsa, Maclura aurantiaca, Maclura cochinchinensis.

Common names: Osage orange, Mock orange, Yellow-wood, Horse apple, Monkey ball. This species is native to Texas, USA.

They are deciduous trees with a rounded crown and thorny branches that reach 15 meters (49.2 feet) in height. The leaves are whole, alternate, oblong, bright green and have a wavy margin; in autumn they turn yellow before falling. The flowers are greenish in color and are not decorative. They bloom in late spring and early summer. The curious orange-like fruits are actually globose clusters of small attached fruits.

They are used as windbreak screens, in rows in streets and public parks, as shade trees and and as hedges. The female plants produce the fruits that can become annoying: if they are not collected they rot in the ground causing bad smells.

The Maclura pomifera prefers full sun exposure but also grows in semi-shade. They resist high temperatures and cold.

They are easy to grow trees that grow in any well-drained soil (even poor soils) but prefer to contain organic matter.

Water moderately waiting for the substrate to dry.

Fertilize with compost in early spring.

Prune in late winter to keep it compact.

They are trees resistant to pests and diseases.

They propagate from seeds sown in spring or by cuttings.

Images of the tree Maclura pomifera or Osage orange