I recently posted an observation of an osage-orange, and as I always try to do with observations, I followed up with reading the Wikipedia article on it. I noted this passage, "the fruit is typically not eaten by humans and rarely by animals, giving it distinction as an [anachronistic] “ghost of evo…

So, if the food source can sometimes survive without the animal that ate it, could the reverse ever be true? An animal that survives even though its primary food source goes extinct? I would imagine that would be more difficult --I’m mostly just thinking out loud, so pardon me if the question is j…

OK, never mind–I see the article also addresses such animals–it is long. :)

Also topical: their current prevalence in our area, and in eastern North America in general, is a reflection of old farming practices. They were planted as living hedgerows before the advent of barbed wire to keep cattle in the pastures and out of the roads.

Cool. I never saw an osage-orange until I moved to DE, but I do see they are up as far as NY, just less frequent. I assume the climate is too cold after that?

[image] arboretum_amy: I heard the avocado evolved to be eaten by now-extinct giant sloths. I don’t have any sources, but maybe we can look that up too. I’ve always thought avocado is the most unappetising of fruits. Now I know why :slightly_smiling_face:

On a side note: Who heard of the name Osage-Orange before joining iNat? If yes, what part of the world are you from? I knew Horse Apple and what I thought was Beau d’Arc. Knew it was French. :)

On clay_s’s side note – I’ve heard them called Osage-Orange. Not sure exactly where I picked that up, whether it was a field guide or just when I was down in Texas. Regarding the idea of Coconuts falling under this category – I think it’s unlikely. We don’t eat Coconut fruits. Rather, we eat the se…

[image] psweet: Regarding the idea of Coconuts falling under this category – I think it’s unlikely. We don’t eat Coconut fruits. Rather, we eat the seeds. The fruits are truly fibrous – the Polynesians used the stuff for rope! And there’s no pulp to speak of. They’re apparently dispersed by wind…

[image] clay_s: Who heard of the name Osage-Orange before joining iNat? I’m from the western U.S., but first heard this name while living briefly in the southeastern U.S. in the early 1980s, and have seen it in many different floristic references ever since.

Osage-orange is what someone told me it was when I ran across the fruit the first time years back. The folds and creases on the fruit always remind me of a brain.

Osage-Orange--Ghosts of Evolution

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Osage-Orange--Ghosts of Evolution

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