By December, most plants have shed their leaves and disperse their seeds. There are many fascinating ways in which the plants ensure the dispersal of their seeds to allow successful germination. Seeds ...

“Monkey brains!” the kids exclaimed as we reached the old dirt road. I was leading an outdoor school program, and it took me a moment to realize the students were referring to the big, lumpy fruit ...

The softball-sized fruits of the Osage orange may have evolved to be eaten by extinct megafauna, and their wood is ideal for making archery bows and warm fires. The fruits of the Osage orange tree, ...

Sponsored by: Northwest Hardwoods: Lumber that’s Graded For Yield®. Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera) derived its common name from the Osage Indians in Oklahoma and Texas and the orange-smelling fruits.

If you take a walk in the forest around Halloween, you might just come across a bunch of what appears to be softball-sized green brains laying all over the ground. If you look up, you may still see ...

Osage orange (Maclura pomifera) derived its common name from the Osage Indians in Oklahoma and Texas and the orange-smelling fruits. The Latin name comes from William Maclura, an American geologist ...

If you’ve spent any significant amount of time in North Texas in fall and winter, you’ve likely encountered a bizarre, unappetizing-looking fruit that can best be described as resembling a green, ...

Over the years I’ve heard many gardeners, local farmers and landscapers say that the Osage orange (Maclura pomifera) is a useless, thorny, gangly tree. I agree that the tree is thorny, somewhat gangly ...

Osage oranges look like a cross between a neon green brain and a baseball. The fruit is hardy enough to survive fall frosts when they’re grown in container gardens and used in floral arrangements.

Osage oranges? Bah, humbug! They’re totally useless. Even a salesperson with the advertising acumen of a PT Barnum would be hard-pressed to promote them. They’re a harbinger of fall, as sure a sign of ...

Question: My sweet southern-raised grandmother, who is an avid gardener, called me a few days ago inquiring where she could find seeds or cuttings of a favorite tree from her childhood. Curious, I ...