The Osage orange? Yeah, I didn’t know it either, but Maclura pomifera apparently “has a long and interesting history of use by both Native Americans and early pioneers.” I heard about it for the first time when Jeremy sent me a little piece this morning about Jared Rydelek, a YouTuber who goes around the world tasting unusual fruits. Which is a really nice gig if you can get it. Though somewhat disappointing in the specific case of the Osage orange, it seems. Sometimes there’s a reason why neglected species are neglected. Anyway, Jeremy did know about Maclura, it turns out, albeit mainly as a hedge, and because he occasionally walks under some specimens when wandering around Trastevere, of all places.
LATER: Corrected spelling mistake in name of the damn thing.