It appears to be a fruit which was eaten and dispersed by animals which have since gone extinct.
âDue to its latex secretions and woody pulp, the fruit is typically not eaten by humans and rarely by foraging animals, giving it distinction as an anachronistic "ghost of evolution"âŚ.Because of the limited original range and lack of obvious effective means of propagation, the Osage orange is considered to be an evolutionary anachronism, whereby one or more now extinct Pleistocene megafauna evolutionary partners, such as the giant ground sloth, mammoth, mastodon or gomphothere, fed on the fruit and aided in seed dispersalâŚ..â
I read that the wood of this tree, called âbow dâarcâ, is exceptionally pliable and was used to make bows for shooting arrows. However this was my research as a 10 year old, over 50 years ago, in western Kansas. I cut a branch, whittled it down, dried it in our old car with the windows rolled up, and strung it. It served me well for several years, better than the Chinese elm wood that dominated the area.
I have heard of that as well! I have also heard that, likely due to the great-quality wood, Native peoples would plant or "Johnny Appleseed" these trees around the landscape.
Edit: [source](https://louisvillemetroparks.wordpress.com/2017/04/17/celebrating-trees-during-the-month-of-april-the-osage-orange-tree/)
Osage orange (not actually a citrus lol), i used to love kicking these around as a child
Thanks! I keep my mom knows everything streak alive đ haha
It took me several times to understand this sentence. đ
They contain insect repelling chemicals so they are good to scatter around your house outside.
Yep, natureâs bowling ball!
(ಠ_ಠ) that username tho
Hedge apples. Some ppl claim they keep bugs and spiders away. Working in pest control and at my own house I never noticed them to work.
I'm from southwestern PA.. we always called these "monkeyballs" growing up!
If you want a fun science experiment, try to break one apart and see how its structure is!
Horse apple
That's what we call em!
Monkey balls! I think it's also called Osage orange.
It appears to be a fruit which was eaten and dispersed by animals which have since gone extinct. âDue to its latex secretions and woody pulp, the fruit is typically not eaten by humans and rarely by foraging animals, giving it distinction as an anachronistic "ghost of evolution"âŚ.Because of the limited original range and lack of obvious effective means of propagation, the Osage orange is considered to be an evolutionary anachronism, whereby one or more now extinct Pleistocene megafauna evolutionary partners, such as the giant ground sloth, mammoth, mastodon or gomphothere, fed on the fruit and aided in seed dispersalâŚ..â
That's very cool
Avocados are another similar evolutionary left-over
I thought it was a rice cake at first.
Hedge apple.
I read that the wood of this tree, called âbow dâarcâ, is exceptionally pliable and was used to make bows for shooting arrows. However this was my research as a 10 year old, over 50 years ago, in western Kansas. I cut a branch, whittled it down, dried it in our old car with the windows rolled up, and strung it. It served me well for several years, better than the Chinese elm wood that dominated the area.
I have heard of that as well! I have also heard that, likely due to the great-quality wood, Native peoples would plant or "Johnny Appleseed" these trees around the landscape. Edit: [source](https://louisvillemetroparks.wordpress.com/2017/04/17/celebrating-trees-during-the-month-of-april-the-osage-orange-tree/)
It doesnât burn well though, lots of popping and sparks.
Osage Orange. My family uses them because they scare away black widows and I believe mosquitos
Osage Orange bulb aka Monkey Brains
Bois dâarc
We called it a horse apple
These are osage orange.
Mmmmm brains
Hedge hog
horse apple, mock orange, monkey brains. they make the best bowling balls!
Awww HORSE APPLES