The size of the fruit has caused livestock fatalities from choking. Horse apples are generally considered inedible by humans (and most animals, including horses). The fruit is also considered a nuisance in landscaping that gardeners have to clean up in the fall. The fruit has a floral scent “with hints of orange blossoms, pears, apples, and cloves.” But even with that positive quality, they’re only eaten by a few kinds of wildlife such as deer, squirrels, and birds - most wildlife find the fruit unappealing! If you cut into one, wear gloves to avoid contact with the milky white sap the fruit secretes. The inside of the fruit has a creamy white center surrounded by yellow-green and contains up to 200 seeds. They look like little softball-sized green brains, which is probably one reason why kids find them irresistible to throw. This is a “multiple fruit” that’s formed from a cluster of flowers that fuse together and create a collective fruit (pineapples, figs, and mulberries are other examples of multiple fruits). It’s the largest fruit of any tree native to North America. Horse apple fruit is 6-8″ in diameter, round, bumpy, and bright green. The wood is decay-resistant and because it burns longer and hotter than oak or maple, it makes ideal firewood. The tree wood makes good tool handles and fence posts - posts have to be set when they’re green because the dried wood is too hard to use staples to attach fencing. Female trees develop fruit that falls to the ground after ripening in September and October. In May or June, small green flowers bloom on the tree. The trees have shiny, dark green, oval-shaped leaves that turn bright yellow in the fall. When cut, the stems and branches secrete a sap that can irritate and stain skin. Their bark is dark and scaly, with deep furrows. The trees have short trunks with rounded-top canopies. While larger animals are wise to steer clear of this tree, it creates a habitat for birds and small wildlife. It takes about 10 years for a tree to fully mature and will take over the space where it’s planted if left unmanaged. Horse Apple Tree / Horse Apple CharacteristicsĪ horse apple is a deciduous shrub or tree typically grows 30-50′ tall, but mature trees can grow 45-60′ tall with a 40′ spread. Horse apple trees were widely planted in the 1930s as part of President Roosevelt’s plan to prevent soil erosion in the Great Plains states.īesides being known as a hedge apple, this plant also called the following names: One bow carried a price tag of a horse and a blanket. The wood of the horse apple tree was prized for bow-making among the Osage and Comanche Native Americans. These living barriers were described as “horse high, hog tight, and bull strong.” These trees were used for livestock-proof hedge purposes until barbed wire was invented in 1874 and became the preferred method for containing or excluding livestock. The plant was often called the “hedge apple” because it grew thorny shoots that became dense and interwoven - these shrubs were planted to form hedges to keep livestock out of gardens and agriculture fields. The first mention of the horse apple ( Maclura pomifera) was in 1804 by Scottish explorer, William Dunbar, who encountered it during a journey from Catherine’s Landing on the Mississippi to Ouachita River. Most people would never think “apple” when they see a horse apple.
Looking to buy a horse apple tree? Check availability. When is an apple not an apple? Keep reading about the horse apple and you’ll learn the answer to that question!
“Horse apples!” you may have heard someone exclaim in lieu of a saltier phrase about bulls that means “nonsense” or “malarkey.” Not to worry, those aren’t the horse apples this post is about! To be clear, this isn’t a post about apples at all, but about one of the more interesting plants you might not have heard of.
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