LeRoy Pennysaver & News

LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - NOVEMBER 28, 2021 by Lynne Belluscio For years, it was my habit to drive east on Route 5 toward Avon and to stop on the hill on the south side of the road just before you go down into the Genesee River valley. I would gather the large green “monkey brains” as my kids called them. They are actually Osage- oranges, sometimes called “horse apples” or “hedge apples”. And this time of the year they drop from the trees. They can break car windows and are dangerous if they fall into the road. This stand of trees runs south from the road quite a distance. It probably was one of the dense hedges that were popular before the introduction of barbed wire fence in the 1870s. As the forests were cleared, the source of fence wood became scarce, and farmers needed a way to keep cattle confined to certain fields, and out of the corn, wheat and oats. Osage-orange hedges were described as “horse height, bull strong and tight.” The Osage-orange grows thick and has long thorns and is almost impenetrable. It was originally found in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, and is hardy in every state except Alaska. It was the first plant specimen sent back to Thomas Jefferson by the Lewis and Clarke Expedition. It was sometimes known by the name the French called it, “Bodark” or bow-wood because it was used by the Native People for bows. The scientific name is Maclura Pomifera , which is curiously derived from the name of the founder of American geology, William Maclure. The National Champion is a tree growing at Red Hill, the historic home of Patrick Henry. (Actually it is a shared championship with a tree in Delaware.) The tree at Red Hill is believed to be over 350 years old and was already mature when Patrick Henry moved there. In his later years, it was said that Henry would sit in his garden beneath the huge tree and play his violin for his grandchildren. The tree at Red Hill is a male tree, and does not have the green fruit. Only female trees bear the huge green fruit. The staff at Red Hill refers to the tree as “He.” Their gift shop sells a variety of objects made from the tree, including jewelry and wine bottle stoppers. The wood of the tree, which is pretty dense, and impervious to rot and termites, was used by the Native Americans for war clubs, tomahawk handles and bows. The color of the wood is quite unique. An article I read, mentioned that potters often use forming tools from Osage- orange wood, because it cannot be worn by down coarse clay. The “oranges” are not edible, but give off a mild citrus smell. They are quite hard and fibrous and surprisingly, float in water. When cut, they give off a very sticky white liquid which can be irritating to the skin. The slices can be dried for fall decorations. Some people put the fruit in places to discourage spiders and they were often put around the foundation of the house to deter rodents. In the 1930s, the Osage-orange was the principal tree used in FDR’s Shelterbelt WPA project. In the Great Depression, windbreaks were planted in the plain states to moderate wind patterns and prevent soil erosion. By 1942, 30,233 windbreaks were planted containing 220 million trees that stretched an estimated 18,600 miles. One source says that more Osage-orange trees have been planted than any other tree in North America. (Suspect that can be debated.) There are some Osage- orange trees in this area. Most are solitary trees. But after hearing about the tree at the Stafford Country Club, we learned that was a long hedge of Osage- oranges on the farm that was there before the golf course was built. The hedges were removed. There’s one on Griswold road not far from West Bergen Road. And another one on 262 between Byron and Elba. The real question - - where are the male trees? Not an Ordinary Orange