 Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera)
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Common Name(s): Osage Orange, Horse Apple, Hedge Apple
Scientific Name: Maclura pomifera Distribution: South-Central United States Tree Size: 50-60 ft (15-18 m) tall, 1-2 ft (.3-.6 m) trunk diameter Average Dried Weight: 59 lbs/ft3 (935 kg/m3) Hardness: 2,760 lbf (12,280 N)* *Estimated hardness from data of green wood at: 2,040 lbf (9,070 N)* Rupture Strength: 19,300 lbf/in2 (133,300 kPa)* *Estimated bending strength from data of green wood at: 13,700 lbf/in2 (94,500 kPa)* Elastic Strength: 1,677,000 lbf/in2 (11,600 MPa)* *Estimated elasticity from data of green wood at: 1,330,000 lbf/in2 (9,170 MPa) Crushing Strength: 9,380 lbf/in2 (64.7 MPa)* *Estimated crushing strength from data of green wood at: 5,810 lbf/in2 (40.1 MPa) Shrinkage: Volumetric: 9.2% |
Color/Appearance: Heartwood is golden to bright yellow, which almost certainly ages to a darker medium brown with time: primarily due to exposure to UV light. See the article Preventing Color Changes in Exotic Woods for more details.
Grain/Pore: Has an even and straight grain with a fine to medium texture.
Endgrain: Ring-porous; large earlywood pores 2-3 pores wide, small latewood pores in clusters and tangential bands; tyloses extremely abundant; growth rings distinct; rays visible without lens; parenchyma vasicentric, aliform, and confluent.
Durability: Osage Orange is extremely durable and is considered to be one of the most decay resistant woods in North America.
Workability: Working this wood can be difficult due to its hardness and density, though it is reported to have little dulling effect on cutting edges. It turns well, and also takes stains, glues and finishes well.
Scent: There is no characteristic odor associated with this wood species.
Safety: Sap has been reported to cause dermatitis. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.
Price/Availability: Having typically small, crooked, and knotty trunks, Osage Orange isn’t usually harvested for lumber, but can occasionally be found for sale in either board or small turning block form. Due to its domesticity and adequate supply, the price should be moderate, though likely to be higher than most other native lumbers on account of its “specialty” status.
Comments: Osage Orange has a relatively low modulus of elasticity compared to its weight, (it’s somewhat flexible), which would explain why it is sometimes used for archery bows. The wood is also very stable, with little seasonal/environmental movement.
One helpful characteristic that can help separate it from lookalikes such as Mulberry or Black Locust (besides being heavier) is that Osage Orange contains a water-soluble yellow dye, so putting shavings into water will turn the water yellow.
Commonly, the wood of a related South-American species—Maclura tinctoria—is imported as Argentine Osage Orange. This imported wood has the advantage of being available in larger sizes, with boards having less knots and defects than the smaller domestic species, Maclura pomifera. (Though it appears, at least on paper, that Maclura pomifera has a lower modulus of elasticity, making it more flexible—which may be good or bad depending upon the intended application.)
Osage Orange has been shown in studies to produce more BTUs when burned than any other domestic hardwood, and is accordingly sometimes used as fuelwood. Other common uses include: fence posts, dye, archery bows, musical instruments, turnings, and other small specialty wood items.
Scans/Pictures: A special thanks to Steve Earis for providing the turned photo of this wood species.
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Osage Orange (sanded) |
 Osage Orange (sealed) |
 Osage Orange (endgrain) |
 Osage Orange (endgrain 10x) |
 Osage Orange (turned) |
March 22nd, 2010 at 1:39 pm
I live in Arizona and my friend and I would like to harvest some osage orange for turning. The fun for us is using found wood. My problem is I’m having a difficult time finding a location. All the hits on line are either articles related to the tree of blanks for sale.
March 22nd, 2010 at 7:09 pm
Nancy,
I don’t quite follow what you are asking when you say you’re having a hard time “finding a location.” At first I thought you were talking about finding trees to harvest, but then in the next sentence you mention searching online for articles, etc.
September 16th, 2011 at 7:01 am
We have a farm in Tennessee and are removing large numbers of Oasage Orange trees if you are interested in the wood. We would be happy for wood workers or a sawmill to take the trees.
Currently they are being placed in piles and burned.
November 8th, 2011 at 10:28 am
I can also get small to medium pieces for turning. I also have access to a limited amount of 100 +year old fence posts that have been removed. Hedge when cut green into boards tends to twist and split as it dries. The old stuff will be dark brown the green a glorious flaming yellow. I have never seen logs already dried cut into boards as you will see sparks from your saw blade when cutting it. I have worked with several exotic woods famed for their hardness and hedge is at least as hard as them esp. that raised on the high plains.
December 9th, 2011 at 2:25 pm
I am desperately in search for the compressive strength of osage orange. Can anybody give me the number(s) ? Thank´s
Siegmar Siemers
December 10th, 2011 at 8:35 pm
Are you looking for the compression strength parallel to the grain? If so, then this is the same thing as the “Crushing Strength” listed above. Otherwise, it’s compression strength *perpendicular* to the grain is listed as 2,260 lbs/in2 in its green state. (Might need to adjust these numbers to get a more accurate picture of how strong it will be when at 12% moisture.)