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Osage-orange

Maclura pomifera

Found in forests and woodlands; floodplain and bottomland forests; streams, rivers and their banks; roadsides, fields and disturbed ground; prairies and grasslands. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
25–70 feet
Spread
20–60 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to standing water
See native alternatives

Plant this instead

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  • Post Oak
    Quercus stellata

    Sun: Full sun. Soil: Dry to average. Flowers: Brown/copper, yellow or green.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

  • Scarlet Oak
    Quercus coccinea

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Dry to average. Flowers: Green.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

  • Shingle Oak
    Quercus imbricaria

    Sun: Full sun. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

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At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
April to June
Fruiting season
August to October

Recorded in 72 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 5

Streams, rivers and their banks

Watauga Falls
Named place / source context. Shown: Watauga Falls, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Watauga Falls, Illustrator/engraver not confidently attributed; reproduced in Zeigler and Grosscup, The Heart of the Alleghanies (1883), 1883. Public domain. Source record.

Prairies and grasslands

Barrens native plants returning after prescribed fire, September 2020
Barrens grassland after a prescribed fire. Shown: Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, a neighboring state.Barrens native plants returning after prescribed fire, September 2020, NPS Photo / Rick Olson, September 2020. Public domain. Source record.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 88 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

7CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Maclura

  • Cenopis reticulatanaReticulated Fruitworm Moth
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Platynota idaeusalisTufted Apple-Bud Moth
  • Sericoplaga externalisFalcate Sericoplaga
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Moraceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Yellow, green or inconspicuous
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Bodock; Hedge Apple; Osage Orange

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankG4G5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources