![]() ![]() Visitors often climb through a wild part of their yard in order to visit it, often taking pictures with this magical tree.įolklore about the fruit of the Osage Orange is abundant, including that they keep away spiders.Īnd whatever you do, do not take the name “apple” in hedge apple too seriously. It almost looks like the fingers of a hand reaching up from the ground, but the center part opens up between two trunks like a portal or fairie gateway. The spiritual sister who took me to see the Dragon Tree for the first time also has a studding Osage Orange open their property. They emit robust and creative energy. I’ve felt this for some time, but even my boyfriend noted a group of small hedge trees while we were out on a hike outside Springfield, Missouri. It astounded me the first time I hiked to see it.īut there’s more to it than merely being physical impressive. Admittedly, the Dragon Tree looks to fit its name – long, angling branches reach out from a huge trunk that would take at least three people to circle it with their arms. Clearly, I’m not the only one that finds them magical. This tree is revered, with small altars around it and little trinkets and offerings placed in the folds of its many-branched trunk. I’ve also seen the amazing Dragon Tree, a dramatic and huge hedge at the Gaea Retreat Center in Kansas. Though the tree is useful, there’s a profound spiritual energy to it. Even today, many archers consider hedge to be the best wood for a bow. After barbed wire became available and affordable, everyone knew that hedge fence posts were the best and would last for decades. The Osage Indians made bows from the wood, which was strong, flexible, and polished well. With the tree’s shoe-piercing thorns and often twisting branches, it made a formidable barrier. Hedge Apple trees are native to south-central United States, though they easily spread into much of the Midwest and were planted on the East Coast. Early farmers of the area grew the trees close together as inexpensive fencing for their herds. Photo by Allen Childers.ĭespite how they may look, they were an important part of rural life. ![]() But there was a creepy aspect with their grasping branches that my imagination took in a scary direction sometimes.Ī smaller Osage Orange displaying a reaching/arching branch structure. ![]() I remember these from childhood too, of course, and some of them in our nearby woods would grow covered by vines and greenbrier and form little huts we could play in. ![]() In adulthood, I’ve become fascinated by a far different kind of tree from my childhood.Īnother common tree of the Ozarks is what my family called the Hedge Apple tree, or more properly the Osage Orange tree or Maclura pomifera (though it has more common names than my pets have nicknames: Prairie Hedge, Horse Apple, Bodark, Bowwood, and more). I was known to lay down and admire the tree canopy against the sky while cradled by the trees and stone. It was shady and the stone cool, making it perfect for an hour’s reading even in summer heat. On the wooded hillside by our house, I found the perfect retreat on a slab of limestone with two Redbuds arching over. Not just their spring-budding beauty, but also the branching structure that was as fascinating as their rosy blooms. Here, a spiritual sister has a moment of reverence and healing with the Dragon Tree in Kansas.Īs a child growing up in the Ozarks, I loved Redbud trees. Osage Orange trees (Hedge Apple or one of many other names) does call to some people. ![]()
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