Although this topic may have been talked to death by now, please allow me to toss another spadeful on the subject.
In Texas, this shrub is traditionally known as Bois d'Arc (pronounced bo dark), also called 'horse apple' in some places. I know it's called Osage Orange in other states. Bois d'Arc is in the Maclura family, although it doesn't look like a mulberry tree. My grandfather planted hedges of Bois d'Arc in the late nineteenth century-early twentieth century to keep the livestock out of the yard and driveway. It's not even good browsing food for the cattle.
The bright green, not orange, fruit can be as large as softballs, and evil children throw them at each other. Bois d'Arc balls hurt (nasty flashback). The spines can be an 1.5 inches long with a very sharp tip; the hedges aren't something one would want to crawl through. I've managed to get stuck by spines of both screwbean mesquite (tornillo) and bois d'Arc,; bois d'Arc is worse.
I don't know if Native Americans really made bows out of the wood, but the wood isn't easily cut or pruned.
In central and northeast Texas, one can count on seeing certain garden plants where historic farmhouses once stood. Iris is probably the most common, along with white honeysuckle (Lonicera sp.), although honeysuckle naturalized a long time ago. Old garden roses ('antique' roses) sometimes live on in abandoned gardens and old cemeteries; hobbyist rosarians often collect clippings of the roses to root. Periwinkle (Vinca sp.) was so common in old cemeteries that some people called it 'graveyard' ivy. A particularly southern lily, known as 'milk and wine,' (Crinum sp.) is found occasionally, but the bulbs are expensive, and people dig them up at sites to transplant.
Barbara J Hickman, Staff Archeologist
Archeological Studies Program
Environmental Affairs Division
Texas Department of Transportation
125 East 11th Street
Austin TX 78701
Telephone: 512.416.2637
Fax: 512.416.2680
As of 1 August 2010, my email address has changed to [log in to unmask] Please update your address book.
>>> On 24 March, 2011 at 3:50 PM, in message <002001cbea65$2c2f87a0$848e96e0$@net>, Linda Derry <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Lyle,
Maybe we should do this off list, but if we have a group that is really
interested in this, we could all get busy and compile lists with photos and
perhaps even regional historical documentation. AT the very least, it would
be good if everyone could research the Latin names for their plants, so we
all know that we are talking about the same plants.
Do you suppose this could make a good session at next year's SHA. This
discussion would benefit much from pictures.
-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lyle E.
Browning
Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2011 2:34 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Vegetation and Historic Sites
This issue has gone to the list a number of times. Has anyone compiled a
spreadsheet with invasives and/or site indicators by region or state that we
could simply add to as we go along?
Lyle Browning, RPA
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