What is this fruit/nut/thing??

[promposive]

Pic1
Pic2
Pic3

Sorry for crappy fotos. It is about the size of an apple/orange.

 

[DeadByDawn]

hedgeapple

 

[promposive]

Originally posted by: DeadByDawn
hedgeapple

Yep that seems to be it, thanks... What can I do with it... (turns to google)

 

[FoBoT]

also known as osage orange or mock orange or horse apple

they come from bois d'arc trees

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osage-orange

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: C0BRA99
What can I do with it... (turns to google)

not much

The fruits, sometimes referred to as the "monkey-brain" fruit, have a pleasant and mild odor, but are inedible for the most part. Although not strongly poisonous, eating it may cause vomiting. The fruits are sometimes torn apart by squirrels to get at the seeds, but few other native animals make use of it as a food source. This is unusual, as most large fleshy fruits serve the function of seed dispersal, accomplished by their consumption by large animals. One recent hypothesis is that the Osage-orange fruit was eaten by a giant ground sloth that became extinct shortly after the first human settlement of North America. An equine species that went extinct at the same time also has been suggested as the plant's original dispersal mechanism because modern horses and other livestock will sometimes eat the fruit.

Today, the fruit is sometimes used to deter spiders, cockroaches, boxelder bugs, crickets, fleas, and other insects. However, using the fruit in this fashion, at least for spiders, has been debunked.

 

[DeadByDawn]

Supposedly you can keep one in a closet to ward off insects. Old wives tale i've heard. Around here people either throw them at each other or shoot them.

 

[spidey07]

Those were called weapons when we were growing up. Grenades.

Many a bloody head back then.

 

[DeadByDawn]

Another interesting fact about the Osage Orange tree is that the wood is excellent for making your own longbow. And it burns too hot to be used in woodstoves.

 

[promposive]

Originally posted by: DeadByDawn
Supposedly you can keep one in a closet to ward off insects. Old wives tale i've heard. Around here people either throw them at each other or shoot them.

I doubt their ability to ward of insects, as ants were crawling all over it when I picked it up, but yea I see that is what some people do w/ it...
Wow, why am I just now seeing one of these if they are supposed to be so common?

 

[DeadByDawn]

Originally posted by: C0BRA99

Originally posted by: DeadByDawn
Supposedly you can keep one in a closet to ward off insects. Old wives tale i've heard. Around here people either throw them at each other or shoot them.

I doubt their ability to ward of insects, as ants were crawling all over it when I picked it up, but yea I see that is what some people do w/ it...
Wow, why am I just now seeing one of these if they are supposed to be so common?

Where do you live? I live in SW Missouri and they are all over the place.

 

[promposive]

Richmond, KY

 

[FoBoT]

NW missouri has tons of them also

the wiki doesn't mention KY as being a native area for them

maybe one of your neighbors planted a tree or somebody dropped that one that they brought from out of state

 

[DeadByDawn]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
NW missouri has tons of them also

the wiki doesn't mention KY as being a native area for them

maybe one of your neighbors planted a tree or somebody dropped that one that they brought from out of state

Maybe it was carried there by a swallow?

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: DeadByDawn

Originally posted by: FoBoT
NW missouri has tons of them also

the wiki doesn't mention KY as being a native area for them

maybe one of your neighbors planted a tree or somebody dropped that one that they brought from out of state

Maybe it was carried there by a swallow?

a european swallow ? or an african swallow?
how would the swallow carry that thing?