Osage Orange (Hedge Apple): Identification, Uses, and Cautions

The strange, brain-like fruit from the Confederate cemetery is osage orange (Maclura pomifera), also called hedge apple, bodark, or monkey brains. The fruit isn't poisonous but isn't palatable—horses and squirrels may nibble. Trees are uncommon but not rare in Georgia. Avoid parking under them in fall when heavy fruit drops.

Osage orange fruit

Osage orange fruit

Osage orange tree