Maclura pomifera...

[dneal]

...also known as Osage Orange, Hedge, Bois d'arc and many other names.

It's near impossible to kill, doesn't rot, and sends up new (thorny) shoots around its base. In the fall, it drops softball sized drupes that nothing eats (well, the squirrels nibble on them).

I have been mentioning this tree to Dreck in our written correspondence, and took some pictures of it today. This one has been growing for many decades. Trunks are 12-14" in diameter, top branches are intertwined and tangled - requiring a lot of work with the pruning saw, roping and pulling.

It will suck the motivation out of you quickly, but I battle on.

Osage.jpg

Osage2.jpg

[Chuck Naill]

https://zebulonturrentine.com/osage-orange-tonewood

[dneal]

https://zebulonturrentine.com/osage-orange-tonewood

I play guitar and am on the acoustic guitar forum (my “avatar” is a Froggy Bottom logo). The idea of using the wood for a guitar crossed my mind. Problem is that once you account for the sapwood, there’s just not enough for a two piece back. A Style 1 (same size as my Froggy L) is 13” across the lower bout. You would be lucky to get a 12” set for a really small parlor perhaps. You could do a 3 piece like a Martin D35, and I’ve seen some 4 piece Brazilian backs that look like a 2 piece book matched set.

John Griffin (of Old Standard Wood) is about 20 miles north of me. Maybe I’ll give him a call before I cut it up into firewood.

[Dreck]

Whew! That's a monster! The one in my grandparent's backyard wasn't nearly that big--probably because it was hemmed in by the just-as-evil mulberry trees!