Tree id

I'm going with poison ivy because it looks itchy but I imagine somebody more knowledgable will be along shortly.
 
Dang, make it easy on us with no leaves!

Honestly the shape reminds me of an Osage Orange, aka Bois d'arc or maybe what is called hedge, but I am not sure they grow in the Carolinas.

If it is, it will have a grapefruit size fruit with a weird texture. Growing up in SE PA/northern DE we called them monkey balls.
 
DurhamDad said:
Dang, make it easy on us with no leaves!

Honestly the shape reminds me of an Osage Orange, aka Bois d'arc or maybe what is called hedge, but I am not sure they grow in the Carolinas.

If it is, it will have a grapefruit size fruit with a weird texture. Growing up in SE PA/northern DE we called them monkey balls.
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We also have hemlocks on the property and they aren’t supposed to be here either
 
Well let’s filter some things out, does it have big thorns?
 
Cluck Norris said:
I don’t remember seeing any, we’re walking back that way tomorrow to cut cedars for fence posts I’ll check and see
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No thorns, it’s neither hedge (osage orange) nor russian olive.
 
Cluck Norris said:
What the heck type of tree is this
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That is an Osage orange! They do grow naturally in the northern piedmont, but they're not very common. It produces a big green fruit about the size of a grapefruit. It is edible, but it tastes pretty bad. The theory is that the tree's fruit was originally eaten by ice age megafauna, that are now extinct. Because those big animals aren't around anymore, the tree's seeds don't get spread very far. Sometimes old timers would plant them along property lines or use them for hedgerows because the wood is really tough. You don't have to worry about deer, cattle, pigs, etc tearing them up. They're sometimes planted in the midwest as wind break trees for the same reason.

Looking at the shape of that tree, I'd day that its pretty old, and that its had a hard life. Something probably fell on it at some point, and it looks like its been taken over by vines (probably wisteria) sometime in the past. Take few pictures of it this summer, when its got leaves on it, and I should be able to give you a better idea if its healthy or not. Judging by what I see in those photos, I don't see any signs of disease, but tree health in the winter can be hard to determine, especially from photos.

Osage orange trees make excellent wood. Its second only to yew to for making bows and arrows, and the native Americans often used it for that.

DO NOT burn the wood in your fireplace. It has about the same BTU's as diesel fuel, and can crack your chimney or set your house on fire.

Hope you don't mind the tree trivia. I'm a certified arborist, so I can get long winded when I'm talking about unusual trees.
 
Cool tree. My sister had one on her property in Tennessee a few of decades ago. I was more interested in the fruit at that time. It is one of the non-indigenous flora I would like to have somewhere on the property.
 
RedneckFur said:
That is an Osage orange! They do grow naturally in the northern piedmont, but they're not very common. It produces a big green fruit about the size of a grapefruit. It is edible, but it tastes pretty bad. The theory is that the tree's fruit was originally eaten by ice age megafauna, that are now extinct. Because those big animals aren't around anymore, the tree's seeds don't get spread very far. Sometimes old timers would plant them along property lines or use them for hedgerows because the wood is really tough. You don't have to worry about deer, cattle, pigs, etc tearing them up. They're sometimes planted in the midwest as wind break trees for the same reason.

Looking at the shape of that tree, I'd day that its pretty old, and that its had a hard life. Something probably fell on it at some point, and it looks like its been taken over by vines (probably wisteria) sometime in the past. Take few pictures of it this summer, when its got leaves on it, and I should be able to give you a better idea if its healthy or not. Judging by what I see in those photos, I don't see any signs of disease, but tree health in the winter can be hard to determine, especially from photos.

Osage orange trees make excellent wood. Its second only to yew to for making bows and arrows, and the native Americans often used it for that.

DO NOT burn the wood in your fireplace. It has about the same BTU's as diesel fuel, and can crack your chimney or set your house on fire.

Hope you don't mind the tree trivia. I'm a certified arborist, so I can get long winded when I'm talking about unusual trees.
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All the hedge I’ve ever worked with had big thorns, big enough that if you cut it up you have to carry the wood to the truck or trailer because the deadfall will pierce the tires. Otherwise it looks like hedge. Is there a version w/o thorns?

BTW, I love turning the stuff, really hard and needs a sharp tool, but cuts very well.
 
Where I come from that looks like a hedge apple tree.

If it is. Throw some under the house to keep unwanted critters away
 
Cluck Norris said:
We also have hemlocks on the property and they aren’t supposed to be here either
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Ah, that does seem to indicate you've got areas with a climate equal to a more northern latitude.

I did some googling and it turns out Osage Orange is not common in NC, but is even found out this way in Durham and Orange counties too.

It is a really unusual tree... Great find assuming that is what it is! You'll know for sure in a couple months.
 
If anyone wants to see an Osage orange and is near UNC CH, there is one located between the planetarium and the church.
Also a buckeye tree in the business school parking lot.
 
You got lucky. Always wanted to build an osage bow.

Osage Bows that are for Sale

A very informative site about the Osage Orange Tree.Examples of Selfbows from the Osage Orange Tree.Osage Orange Staves and Billets for the Bowyer 319 835 5892.James Easter,Bowyer.This is also an Educational and Historical site on Osage Orange.
www.osageorange.com
thewoodwhisperer.com

Osage Orange Bench

A beautiful bench made from Osage Orange.
thewoodwhisperer.com thewoodwhisperer.com

Osage Orange Wood for sale - Bodark Maclura Pomifera - Bow Staves - Sawdust - Planks

Osage Orange Wood for Sale, Bodark, Maclura Pomifera Lumber - We offer different cuts for crafts, boards, flooring and blanks. Exotic wood for the hobbiest and crafts
www.moseshardwoods.com
 
Catfish said:
You thinking of Honey Locust? Its got 2-3" spikes for "thorns"
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Well I’ll feel dumb if I mixed this up in my head. We have miles of hedge (osage orange) at the farm, and I swear it all has spikes (that’s a better word) but I don’t think as long as 3”.

edit: I’m not losing my mind
FDAE3BB7-313E-4A6B-BEAB-511A18418505.jpeg
 
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