Osage Question?

[Rick James]

For you Osage guys--Do all Osage trees bear fruit or are some of the trees male and some female with the female bearing the fruit--I have noticed a couple of trees in my area (Eastern Georgia) that generally look like Osage but i have never seen fruit on them. Osage is not common around here...
thanks, Rick

[Stiks-n-Strings]

I'm pretty sure the females are the only ones that produce the fruit. The bark on the males and females varies just a little as well from my experience.

[DVSHUNTER]

not all osage tres bear fruit every year. Some fruit every other year too.

[Roy from Pa]

I believe only the females bear fruit.

[mwosborn]

Osage are dioecious - meaning they have separate male trees and female trees.  Only the females produce fruit.

[KellyG]

Well we learn somthing new every day.

[Osagetree]

Do your trees in question have thorns on the limbs? You'll know it's osage when you cut into it and see yellow heartwood. Also, if you can see some exposed roots they are a yellowish tint to their skin.

[Rick James]

I haven't been close enough to them to see the thorns or the roots--I have only seen them from the road while passing by--they are both on privately owned property and I have not tried to get permission to go and look closer at them...

[TroutGuide]

Along the same line of questions.  Have any of you ever noticed a difference in male or female osage strength?  It seems that the reason they are so strong could be the big heavy fruit.  Could the female trees be even stronger than the male, if this is true.  Female limbs must be under tremendous stress about this time of year, some have dozens of mature fruit blowing in the wind.