Osage Orange Trees

Osage Orange, Hedge or Horse Apple trees do very well here in the desert Southwest. Not many are planted in Las Cruces, NM, but the few that we have seen are very healthy.

The Osage Orange trees are either male or female with fruit borne only on the female trees. Huge interesting balls can be seen hanging from the trees in the summer months.

These trees can get to 30 feet high, but most are only about 20 or 25 feet. They require full sun and moderate watering.

Many of the fence posts used to string barbed wire, when the West was being settled, were made from these trees because of their extremely hard wood.

The fruits of the Osage Orange tree are huge and the seeds are supposedly edible, if you are willing to take the time to harvest and clean them. They are small and covered with a slimy coating that must be removed, very tedious but according to "the squirrels" it is well worth the effort!

If you want to plant a few of these seeds yourself, soak them in water for 48 hours prior to planting to overcome their dormancy period.