Maclura pomifera (osage orange) dispersal (was squash dispersal)

[David Hershey]

Janzen and Martin (1982) hypothesized that extinct North American
megabeasts, such as giant ground sloth, mastodon, camel or
Gomphotheres (elephant ancestor), were seed dispersers of osage orange
(Maclura pomifera) and other North American plants with anachronistic
characteristics such as the large thorns and pods of honeylocust
(Gleditsia triacanthos).

However, small mammals, such as squirrels and possums, also tear open
the fruits and disperse the seeds. Horses sometimes eat the fruit,
hence the common name horse apple. Thus, extinct North American
ancestors of horses may have once helped disperse them. Another idea
is that horses trampled the fruits and the seeds were dispersed by
sticking to their hooves. Burton says birds also eat the seeds and
another website mentions turkeys can scratch open the fruits and eat
the seeds. Possibly, the extinct passenger pigeon was involved in seed
dispersal as well.

Certainly, people dispersed osage orange over most of the continental
USA from its limited natural range because of its use as "living
barbed wire" and its valuable decay-resistant wood that is
particularly valued for making bows. Today, children still like to
throw the fruits around so they provide some dispersal. Martha Stewart
even recommends the fruit as decorations. Fresh fruits are used as an
insect repellant. Male trees make nice disease resistant small trees.

References

Osage orange fruit dispersal:
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osage_orange

Osage orange dispersal by small mammals:
http://www.ontarioprofessionals.com/botaniq.htm#conta

Horse dispersal:
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=osage+orange+dispersal&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&safe=off&selm=9610278491.AA849117071%40smtpgtwy.berea.edu&rnum=1

Osage-orange by J.D. Burton:
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_2/maclura/pomifera.htm

Turkeys eat osage orange seeds:
http://www.noble.org/imagegallery/woodhtml/OsageOrange.html

http://www.hedgeapple.com/

Dirr, Michael A. 1983. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Champaign,
IL: Stipes.

Janzen, Daniel H., and Martin, Paul S. 1982. Neotropical anachronisms:
The fruits Gomphotheres ate. Science. 215, 19-27.

David R. Hershey

----- Original Message -----
From: Monique Reed <mon...@mail.bio.tamu.edu>
Newsgroups: sci.bio.botany
Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 5:13 PM
Subject: squash dispersal

>
> Now, what was the original dispersal agent of Maclura pomifera (osage
> orange, bois d'arc) fruits? That's what I'd like to know! That is a
> lot of energy for a plant to expend, making that horrendous,
> foul-sapped fruit that's too heavy for nearly anything to carry away.
> Was there some giant ground sloth or woolly rhino that relished the
> things whole?
>
> M. Reed

[Monique Reed]

I've heard about squirrels and horses, but I've never seen one go near
a horse apple, nor a bird.

Maclura fruits are also good for playing softball, though they rarely
last more than a few playls.

Monique

[David Hershey]

I've sometimes seen a little pile made from fragments of a shredded
osage orange fruit, which I assume might have been a squirrel's work
to get the seeds.

Interestingly, You can buy a seedling of the "Patrick Henry National
Champion Osage Orange", which grows on the Patrick Henry estate in Red
Hill, VA. Supposedly, the tree was given to Henry's daughter by Lewis
and Clark upon his death but it must have been several years later
because he died in 1799 and they didn't collect it until 1804. It was
supposedly the first tree they sent back.

http://www.historictrees.org/TreeDirectory/TreeInfo.asp?TK=343

http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1016/3_106/65774772/p1/article.jhtml?term=%22hedge+apple%22

Osage orange is one of the more intriguing native American trees. With
the upcoming bicentennial of Lewis and Clark's expedition, osage
orange might get more attention.

David R. Hershey

Monique Reed <mon...@mail.bio.tamu.edu> wrote in message news:<3DB40ADC...@mail.bio.tamu.edu>...