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February 2026: Osage Orange

By Andy Mead


Our tree of the month feature for February takes us 30 miles out of Lexington to visit an Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera) at Old Fort Harrod in Harrodsburg in Mercer County.

The species is native to Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas, but apparently was planted at the fort around the time the frontier outpost was built in 1774.


The Fort Harrod osage orange in all its glory.
The Fort Harrod osage orange in all its glory.

The sign informing Fort Harrod visitors of the tree's record setting measurements and ineligibility for National Champion title due to the split trunk.
The sign informing Fort Harrod visitors of the tree's record setting measurements and ineligibility for National Champion title due to the split trunk.

It is 88 feet tall with a crown of 76 feet. A sign beside the tree declares it is the “Unofficial National Champion” for its species. Why unofficial? Because it has a split trunk. (The national champion is at Red Hill, Patrick Henry’s National Memorial in Virginia.)


Because of its peculiar shape, with the split trunk and some branches easily accessible, it has been climbed by generations of children. A decade ago, former Herald-Leader columnist and current Urban County Council member Tom Eblen took his granddaughter Nora to visit the fort. “She loved the history, but loved the awesome climbing tree even more,” he wrote. “I climbed on that tree as a kid. So did her mother.”


A young child climbs on the osage orange tree at Fort Harrod. Generations of children have flocked to the shade of this tree for relief from the summer heat and found both magic and wonder while exploring the marvelous specimen.
A young child climbs on the osage orange tree at Fort Harrod. Generations of children have flocked to the shade of this tree for relief from the summer heat and found both magic and wonder while exploring the marvelous specimen.

How did a non-native tree get to Kentucky so long ago? The origin of this particular tree is unknown, but osage oranges were brought to the state by Native Americans who valued its wood for their bows and clubs, says Dr. William Fountain, a retired University of Kentucky extension professor of arboriculture and landscape management. The French name for the osage orange is bois d’arc, (bow wood).


Osage oranges have sharp one-inch thorns, which were developed to protect them from a range of now mostly extinct browsers. Early settlers planted them in dense rows that prevented cows and horses from roaming, Fountain says. He also notes that the wood is so hard that when cutting it in fading evening light one can see sparks flying from a chainsaw. It burns hotter than any Kentucky native tree.


Osage oranges are either male or female. The Harrodsburg tree is a male. Females produce an interesting fruit about the size of a grapefruit that has a hard, bumpy skin. It is not related to citrus orange. They are sometimes called hedge apples because they grew in fencerows or hedges.

Osage orange fruit, commonly seen along rural roadsides in the fall and often used for seasonal decor.
Osage orange fruit, commonly seen along rural roadsides in the fall and often used for seasonal decor.

Most osage oranges reach 40 to 65 feet in height. The mature bark is dark, deeply furrowed and scaly. The leaves are dark green on the top and a pale green on the bottom.

 

Here are websites where you can learn more about this tree, Fort Harrod and osage oranges in general:






Dave Leonard inspecting the osage orange tree at Fort Harrod. He probably climbed it while he was there, too!
Dave Leonard inspecting the osage orange tree at Fort Harrod. He probably climbed it while he was there, too!

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