What is the common name of the tree that produces yellow-green hedge balls?
Hedge balls or hedge apples are produced by the Osage orange (Maclura pomifera). Other common plant names include hedge apple, bodark, bois d’arc and bowwood. The Osage orange is a small- to medium-sized tree. It commonly grows 30 to 40 feet tall, occasionally as tall as 50 to 60 feet. It typically has a short trunk and a rounded or irregular crown. The leaves of the Osage orange are a shiny medium to dark green. They turn yellow in the fall. The twigs are buff to orange-brown and are armed with ½ -inch long spines. The stems exude a milky sap when cut. The Osage orange is dioecious. Male and female flowers are produced on separate trees. The small, green flowers appear in May or June. The female trees produce 3- to 5- inch-diameter fruit. The fruit somewhat resemble a yellow-green orange. Mature fruit fall to the ground in September or October. The wood of the Osage orange is golden yellow or bright orange when first cut, but turns brown on exposure. The wood is extremely hard, heavy,
