3 years ago myself and a friend hunted his buddys place in Illinois. There were Osage trees there and I picked up a Osage fruit to show my hunting buddy..he said he has seen them at his Church a mile or so where I have lived my whole life, in north central Florida.. He picked 3 fruits weds from his Churches property and I looked at them. I also snapped some pics. I haven't seen the trees but the fruit looks like pics on the internet. I don't use Osage so the trees are safe..they are on a fence line. Is there another tree that produces the hedge Apple looking fruit? (http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt46/Robertfishes/floridaOsagefruit_zpsba553b3f.jpg) (http://s596.photobucket.com/user/Robertfishes/media/floridaOsagefruit_zpsba553b3f.jpg.html)
I've seen that fruit but can't remember where, always wondered what it was, I grew up in Florida but I don't think it was there.
Well I don't see the picture.
However, Osage orange occurred historically only in the Red River drainage of Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas and in the Blackland Prairies, Post Oak Savannas, and Chisos Mountains of Texas. However, it is a great adaptative species, and has become hardy over most of the contiguous United States.
So, yes, it's possible you're seeing Osage Orange in Ocala, FL, and it may even be reproducing and thriving there. But it's another introduced species here.
Osage trees where the fence before barb wire was invented
1860's barb wire was patent and they nailed it to the osage trees
If the fruit is green and the size of a orange and it's bumpy. Osage
Clay Hays on You tube cut some Osage in florida.
I would imagine the growth rings would be a mile wide in trees growing that far south.
picture added to first post, color is off a little.. fruit is slightly darker green in person.
That's definitely a horse apple, monkey ball or what ever osage fruit is called.
Hedge apples, green brains fruit. (<---- made that one up) but yep that is osage.
Yep that's Osage. Too small to be Breadfruit!
x 2 Osage
x 2 Osage
I have them on my place in North Mississippi,
all on the fence line
Hedge apple for sure. I dont have those around home.....but when I hunt Indiana with a good friend of mine, I see plenty around the field edge. I always stomp on at least one of them so I can get a good wiff.....love the smell of them!
The only thing that looks like that is a osage.