5 ms·
It's interesting to see a claim in the article that Wikipedia disputes. Texas Monthly: "Lipscomb said that the unusually large fruit is a remnant of prehistori
by SaintGhurka 4y ago
It's interesting to see a claim in the article that Wikipedia disputes.
Texas Monthly: "Lipscomb said that the unusually large fruit is a remnant of prehistoric times, once eaten by massive, now-extinct animals like the woolly mammoth"
Wikipedia: "Controversial suggestions have been made that it was consumed by extinct Pleistocene megafauna, but these claims have been criticised as lacking empirical evidence."
It seems likely that something must have eaten them at some point to spread the species around. Those things weigh about 2 pounds and wouldn't move far without help from an animal - or maybe a tornado. I would love to find out that there's a species on this planet whose reproductive strategy depended on tornadoes.
- eppp 4y agoSquirrels eat them regularly at my house.
- nerdponx 4y agoSquirrels and raccoons are very good at shredding even the toughest of pumpkin skins and garbage can lids. I'm sure they can handle some overripe fruit that plopped off a tree.
- masklinn 4y agoBut do they spread the seed or do they eat the seed? The seed seems rather large, and the fruit is uselessly huge by comparison, it doesn’t seem much like the sort of things which would be adapted to being spread by squirrels.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- Tagbert 4y agoSquirrels do eat them, especially the seeds. I suspect that they are not the ideal distribution vector for Osage oranges since they consume the seeds rather than distribute them. BTW - we always called them “hedge apples”
- elihu 4y agoI suppose squirrels might end up propagating the seeds by stashing them away somewhere, then for any number of possible reasons, never actually coming back to eat them.
- Loughla 4y agoThey roll pretty well until they get mushy, then the seeds are pretty easily dispersed by rain. And the mature tree does really well on hillsides/near streams. So maybe water is the answer? Also, I'm certain that something ate them. I've personally seen Squirrels, groundhogs, horses, and cows eat them.
- doodlebugging 4y agoAround my house, like the elms, hercules club, and hackberries that are native, bois d'arc tends to be spread by birds shitting the seeds. I have a grove of birdshit elms that I written previously about.
- evan_ 4y agoWe used to huck 'em at each other when I was a kid, novel strategy but it might work...
- elihu 4y agoI'm not from Texas, but in Oregon we have a plant, the wild cucumber, that served in the same ecological niche, being a fruit whose sole purpose seems to be furnishing children with satisfying projectiles. The wild cucumber is shaped like a hand grenade, and splatters a glue-like substance on the target. Someone in another comment speculated on whether it's possible for some fruit to evolve to propagate its seeds across the landscape by tornado. I suppose it might also be possible for a plant to evolve to present passers-by an irresistible temptation to throw it at someone.
- evan_ 4y agoI'm not from Texas either, but there were a few trees in southern Illinois where I grew up. I live in Oregon now though and my kids love throwing horsetail shoots at each other like spears, which I imagine does a great job distributing its unique spores.
- dylan604 4y ago>"Controversial suggestions whoa there buddy! thems fightin words. round here, in polite society, we refer to these as tall tales. they're part of the bigger in texas lore. calling them controversial is darn right rude that only a city slicker northerner would dare utter in the great state! that being said, i say bless your heart!
- DoreenMichele 4y agoI would love to find out that there's a species on this planet whose reproductive strategy depended on tornadoes. Not exactly the same thing: Birds, insects hitch a ride in hurricanes https://wildlife.org/birds-insects-hitch-a-ride-in-hurricanes/ https://wildlife.org/birds-insects-hitch-a-ride-in-hurricane... Hurricanes May Bring Unusual Pests https://specialtycropindustry.com/hurricanes-may-bring-unusual-pests/ https://specialtycropindustry.com/hurricanes-may-bring-unusu... I have read that it is believed that flies and other insects found on remote islands originate with one or a few being blown in on a hurricane.