Ok, I've seen a lot out there, but what are these?

[fishingpol]

Out for a nice fall walk at a nature preserve today and stumbled across these. They were all oriented up the same way. I first thought they were nuts with husks on them until I broke one open. It is firm and whitish green inside. The outside felt waxy and smelled like a pear. I took another one home and cut it open. I figure a type of mushroom or puffball. It was near a mix of hardwoods. What do you think?

 

[fireview2788]

Osage Orange seed pods, AKA "Monkey balls" or "monkey brains." If you have a basement put a couple in it and you will have no more spiders.


f v

 

[fishingpol]

Thanks FV, I had no idea we had osage orange around here. I knew someone here would know what they were.

 

[BrotherBart]

In Texas we called'em Bodarck apples.

 

[snowleopard]

Really? spiders don't like them? or they eat them and get poisoned, or what?

 

[fireview2788]

I tried to find something on it but this could be an old wives tale. Some claim that it will repel spiders but nothing I could find has documented proof that it works. So take it for what it's worth, but hey toss a few balls and see what happens.

f v

 

[Dune]

Spiders are good. They eat other bugs.

 

[fireview2788]

I don't mind spiders but my wife and oldest daughter a re terrified of them. When my daughter and I were hunting yesterday she kept stopping and telling me there was a spider on a twig where she was about to go. These buggers were as small as a pin head. We let them have free run outside but inside I have to remove/kill.


f v

 

[Adios Pantalones]

They do look like osage oranges. If they are, they should be pretty big (grapefruit) and have a lot of seeds in them- though the only ones I've ever seen in New England are the ones that I planted myself. The fruit may be smaller or maybe have no seeds if they are not pollinated- as there may not be others around to provide pollen.

 

[fishingpol]

These were about the same size as a tennis ball and almost a few shades off from the color of one. I still can't figure out the orientation, as they all seemed to be upright, meaning the stem end was pointing down. I did not see if they rooted into the ground, but a few hours after bringing it home, the pod degraded and started to shrivel up. Does anyone know if they root into the ground once they have dropped? The flesh was mostly white, almost like the white stuff in an orange, seeds were very small near the center.

 

[jeromehdmc]

As far as I know hedge balls decompose over winter and then the seeds sprout.
Mother earth news had an interesting article on how to grow and weave a hedge fence. You take a bunch of hedge balls put them in a bucket with water until they get mushy. Then you mash them up and pour the mash in a row. When they get a couple feet tall you bend the saplings over and weight them down so they root. Keep weaving and bending. The article is better than I can explain it.