Brush - Range & Pasture - Bois d'Arc (Osage Orange)

BES-TEX BRUSH ID GUIDE

Bois d'arc (Osage Orange)

Osage Orange, Horse Apple

Maclura pomifera

Perennial Woody Brush

Plant Type

Thorny tree; mulberry family (Moraceae)

Life Cycle

Perennial; native

Leaf Habit

Deciduous

Typical Height

Up to 60 ft (Texas A&M)

Photo Gallery

Bois d'arc twig with glossy pointed leaves and sharp thorns — **Thorns and Leaves** Photo: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Bois d'arc green, bumpy horse apple fruit broken open on the ground — **Fruit (Horse Apple)** Photo: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Bois d'arc trunk with deeply furrowed, orange-brown bark — **Bark** Photo: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to Identify It

Quick ID

Sap

White, milky sap (Texas A&M)

Leaves

Simple, alternate, 2 to 4 inches long
Older leaves hairless and shiny (Texas A&M)

Thorns

Stout spines where twigs meet branches (Texas A&M)

Fruit

Round, yellow-green, 4 to 5 inches across
Bumpy compound fruit with milky juice (Texas A&M)

Look-Alikes

Mulberry

How to tell it apart from bois d'arc: [PLACEHOLDER]

Counter script: "If it is a thorny tree with milky sap, shiny leaves, and big bumpy green balls for fruit, it is most likely bois d'arc."

Where It Grows

Texas

Ecoregions (Texas A&M): Pineywoods, Gulf Prairies and Marshes, Post Oak Savannah, Blackland Prairies, Cross Timbers and Prairies, Edwards Plateau, Rolling Plains, Trans-Pecos

Oklahoma

Throughout the state (OSU)

New Mexico

[PLACEHOLDER]

Sites and soils: Deep, moist to semi-moist soils; favors rich clay soils. Once widely planted for windbreaks and hedgerows (Texas A&M).

Best Time to Control

The Surmount and PastureGard HL labels list broadcast timing for Osage orange from late spring through summer.

Bois d'arc is a woody perennial. No pre-emergent herbicide controls bois d'arc.

Treatment Methods

Foliar (Leaf) Spray

Example products: Surmount or PastureGard HL (Corteva); Osage orange is listed on both labels
PastureGard HL high-volume mix (label): 0.5 to 1% + 1 qt nonionic surfactant per 100 gal

Basal Bark (Stem) Spray

Remedy Ultra and PastureGard HL list Osage orange
PastureGard HL (label): 25% in oil; Remedy Ultra (label): 20 to 30% in oil

Cut Stump

Cut every stem flat, close to (not below) the soil surface
Brush off soil and sawdust, then spray the cut surface and the sides of the stump right away
Example product: Remedy Ultra (Corteva); Brush Busters lists bois d'arc for this method
Mix (Brush Busters): Remedy Ultra 15% (19 oz per gallon) in diesel or vegetable oil

Individual Plant vs. Broadcast

Surmount and PastureGard HL are labeled for broadcast; follow the label
Density guidance: [PLACEHOLDER]

Product names are examples only. Always read and follow the product label. For product selection and help, contact BES-TEX at 325.653.1300.

Sources: Brush Busters: How to Avoid Lumps When Treating Cut Stumps (Texas A&M AgriLife); Surmount label, EPA Reg. No. 62719-480; PastureGard HL label, EPA Reg. No. 62719-637; Remedy Ultra label, EPA Reg. No. 62719-552; Texas A&M Plants of Texas Rangelands; Oklahoma State University Extension.