The Horse Apple

This alien looking object is an Osage orange, also called a horse apple or hedge apple, and it is not related to the orange fruit you are familiar with. This odd little piece of fruit comes from a tall tree or shrub and it is hard as a rock. If you are successful at cutting into the horse apple, it contains a sticky white glue-like substance resembling latex.

Because the inside of the horse apple is like latex, it is not eaten by animals or humans and it is referred to as a “ghost of evolution.” If you were to taste the fruit, it would probably remind you of a cucumber.

A Fruit Of Many Names …

Osage orange, horse apple, hedge apple, bow wood, monkey brains, monkey ball, mock orange, yellow wood, and probably a lot more nicknames that are not mentioned here.