The Osage Orange Collection: Honoring the Tree with Texas Roots and Na

Osage orange, monkey brains, horse apple, or bois d'arc, the French name most typically pronounced "bodark."
My whole life, I knew them as the quirky, lime-green softball-covered Dr. Seuss trees that grew in old East Texas pastures.

Deep Roots

Whatever you call it, this tree has some of the deepest roots of any in North American history. It was originally native to a tiny sliver of land stretching from the bottom border of Oklahoma, with the bulk of its natural habitat being in central Texas. Its first dispersal outside that area was believed to have been by now-extinct megafauna like giant sloths and mammoths, who ate its fruit and spread the seeds.

The Expansion and Versatile Uses of Osage Orange

The next massive spread was by settlers, who planted them in all 48 contiguous states. Their expansion throughout all of North America was no accident. This tree was a gold mine of usefulness, and use it, they did.

Its uniquely hardy and rot-resistant wood has been used to make bows, bowls, dye, tool handles, fence posts, railroad ties, and wagon wheels, to name a few. In the pre-barbed wire 1800s, it was planted as a dense fence hedge that was said to be:

"horse high, bull strong and hog tight"

Unlikely Natural Insect Deterrent

Of all its uses, the only thing I really remember my family doing with them was putting their brainy, textured fruit balls in the corners of our house to "keep the roaches away." On the long list of usefulness, natural insect deterrent was an old wives' tale that lived at the top.

Quirky Texas Things Turned Jewelry

When it came to "Texas things" that live in my mind, this was one I had to commemorate. The history, utility and quirky charm of the Osage orange tree make it more than just a plant; it's a symbol of resilience and creativity.

This collection captures the essence of the Osage orange and meant to be a tribute to its enduring legacy.

Explore the Osage Orange Jewelry

For our Osage Orange jewelry we took a mold of an Osage orange ball to capture the texture exactly. Combined with hand carved elements, Madeline created the original piece in wax. MIMOSA uses the ancient art of Lost Wax casting to create all of our pieces of Osage Orange Jewelry. See below for more behind the scenes of the Osage Orange cuff in the hand carving process.