The osage oranges of autumn

seasonal pomanders

Seasonal rituals ground us within the calendar year and remind us where we stand in the world.   Here in the Pacific Northwest a shower of colorful leaves – and yes, the more typical liquid showers -  denote fall just as emerging slender thread-like shoots of chives promise me spring 6 months from now – amidst more showers.

Perhaps not as typical a rite as purchasing a new back-to-school backpack, but no less indicative of autumn, is my annual trek over the Cascades to the Yakima Arboretum to collect Osage oranges.

intricate canopy

The Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera), is a sturdy deciduous tree or large shrub native to the American Great Plains.  French settlers observed Native Americans using the strong and supple wood for bow making and gave the tree the common name “Bois D’Arc.”  Today the closely grained, dense yellow-orange wood is prized for tool handles, fence posts, pegs and other applications where rot resistance is critical.

Said to be “horse high – bull strong – & hog tight” closely knit hedges of thorny Osage Oranges were planted to corral livestock in the days prior to barbed wire, giving rise to another common name “Hedge Apple”.  The tree was also included in the ambitious “Great Plains Shelterbelt” WPA program launched in 1934 under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt when 18,600 miles of windbreak hedges were established in an effort to modify winds and control devastating soil erosion.

the inner osage

Having neither the need for livestock control, bow-making wood or a sheltering windbreak, I value the Osage Orange for it’s curious fruit.  The grapefruit-sized orbs are brilliant chartreuse and resemble an over-sized, green mulberry, a distant relative.  In addition to their stunning color, the fruit have a light citrus smell which I can only imagine is the reasoning behind the common name I know them by.  The fruits last for several months in indoor arrangements where, like a pomander, they freshen the air with their tangy scent.  Placing the fruit on windowsills and at doorways is also said to repel spiders, cockroaches, crickets, and fleas; uh…, I guess so.

pickin'

Most people don’t drive several hundred miles to mark a changing season but I never turn down a chance for a good roadtrip.  This year (my fifth in this ritual) my husband came along for the ride.  He’s very understanding and accomodating of my horticultural quirks and loves a good adventure as much as I.  But I must admit I was stunned to hear he thought we would actually be climbing trees – precariously perched on limbs to pluck the pungent pommes!  First of all, that sort of behaviour is discouraged in any Arboretum, but I love the thought that he pictured me as some sort of plant-geek bandit on the hunt!  Nope, this is simply gathering fruit drop from the well-manicured lawn beneath the large canopy.  It’s true I’m  robbing the squirrels of a tasty fodder but I figure I’m doing the resident groundkeepers a favor.

my bounty

Tagged as: autumn, osage oranges, seasonal bounty