Uses: Lumber, veneer cores to which other wood can be glued, canoes, frames.
Habitat: Rich soil.
Range: Connecticut and Vermont across to southern Michigan, southwestward across Illinois to Louisiana, east to Central Florida.
Distinguishing Features: The shape of the leaf is unlike that of any other tree in Illinois.
OSAGE ORANGE
Maclura pomifera Schneid.
Other Names: Hedge Apple; Bow Wood.
Growth Form: Medium tree to 40 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 1 foot; crown rounded or dome-shaped, with several rather stout, spreading branches.
Bark: Light gray-brown tinged with orange, separating into shaggy strips.
Twigs: Dull orange-brown, smooth, zigzag, with short, sharp, axillary spines; leaf scars alternate, half-round, elevated, with usually 3 groups of bundle traces.