What a strange and wonderful plant! The osage orange or hedge apple. I discovered this young brushy specimen on the bank of the Ohio River in mid November. This member of the mulberry family is a fascinating plant to consider.
My curiosity in the evolution of plant cultures makes the “osage orange” one with interesting history. The story goes that it probably would have become extinct except for the value of the wood to make bows for indigenous people. There is speculation that’s it’s natural proliferation partner, prior to that, was the wooly mammoth which become extinct; therefore leaving it with a missing partner in its ecology.
In early america, because of it thorny body, it became valuable in agriculture as a hedge fence plant. It supplemented the use of wood and stone materials as fencing. This was before the production of modern wire fencing.
It’s utility has faded in modern times. It still survives in the wild but is to rowdy for contemporary landscaping.
Gardenpoiesis: Adventures of a Naturalist 