The female bois d'arc tree only bears fruit, as seen above, that turns a bright yellow-green in the
autumn.

 

"BO-D-ark"

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

This bois d'arc "horse apple" is still "green" and hasn't begun the autumn change to a brighter yellow
in color.

 

It's called by a number of names.....Bois d'arc, Osage Orange, and here in East Texas, "BO-d-ark!" Found originally, primarily in the Red River Valley of Southern Oklahoma and Northern Texas, the plant has now claimed widespread adaptation all across the Great Plains. The "Osage Orange" name comes from the Osage Indian tribe that lived near its original habitat and found uses for the plant, along with the distinct "orange" smell to the fruit, after it has been sitting in the sun on a hot and sultry day, during "Indian Summer days" of August and September, each year.

The fruit, only found on the female tree of the species, is a spherical ball, with a "bumpy" texture, about 6-8 inches in diameter, filled with sticky, white sap, know in this area as a "horse apple." In the fall, the fruit turns a bright yellow-green and has a faint odor of "oranges."

 

The insides of a bois d'arc "horse apple" is full of seeds, and of no known use
other than to procreate the plant.

 

 

Some say that Lewis and Clark brought a cutting of the Osage Orange tree back to President Thomas Jefferson, when they returned from their famous Lewis & Clark Expedition. Others report the multi-uses of the plant by the Osage Indians, who prized the limbs of the tree to fashion sturdy and useful bows, that would last a lifetime.

Early settlers in this part of the country used the tree as a "poor man's fence" or a natural hedge along fence rows to keep their cattle and horses inside a perimeter.

My first experience with a "BO-d-ark" tree came at an early age, when Uncle Jim, my grandfather's brother, was building fence, with me "tagging" along. The bois d'arc fence posts in the fence had been there for a while and were so hard they wouldn't take a staple. He decided it was time for me to learn how to twist a piece of wire around the post, so it would be tight against the post. Soon, I was tightening wire with a pair of pliers and learning the art of fence repair.

 

This crooked bois d'arc post has been in the fence for some 30 years,
and still maintains the staples that were placed in it when it was "green."

 

And, then I was teenager, when I had another "appointment" with the bois d'arc tree. There was an old corner post in a fence, that my Dad wanted removed, so he could build a new fence. He challenged me with the task of "taking up" the post. It was in the hot summer time and I learned the valuable lesson of perseverance. Three days later, with numerous five-gallon buckets of water "toted" to the sight, and blisters on my hands from digging, the monster of a post, that was twice as big underground, than above the surface, was removed! Yes, it had numerous crooks and turns in it, and the bumper of the truck had a slight bend in it also, but nothing looked so good as that post laying on the ground. I had a sense of accomplishment and a job started and seen to completion!

Today, I can go to the site of some of those fences and bois d'arc posts that are over fifty years old, are still in use. The bois d'arc posts last longer than a lifetime and still have a very useful purpose here in East Texas. Certainly, the bois d'arc tree can become a problem, if not managed, but they still offer a significant part of living in Northeast Texas.

 

This bois d'arc post, over 50 years old, shows that it is too tough
to drive a staple into it, and wire is used to keep the fence tight!

 

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