Bois D'arc Tree

The common name, "Bois D'arc", pronounced "bow-dark", is French for "bow-wood," a reference used by Native Americans for bows and war clubs. This species was also widely distributed and planted to make hedgerows and livestock pens prior to the invention of barbed wire. The Bois-D’arc tree is known for its unusual fruit. The fruit is yellow/green on the outside with pronounced bumps. The fruit produces a milky fluid and woody pulp. Although it is not poisonous, the fruit is not usually eaten by animals or humans because of its hard-dry texture. Common names for the fruit are "horse apple" and "hedge apple."