Subject: Osage Orange and something Chinese

From: Stephen Selby <[email-masked]>
Date: 15 Jan 1996 04:51:42 GMT

I am researching Chinese bow-making. The preferred wood for making Chinese bows is 
known as "Zhe" in Chinese which, according to one dictionary, has the scientific 
name "Cudrania tricuspidata". The dictionary description mentions that this species 
is also the source of a yellow dye. Its leaves can be used to feed silkworms in 
place of mulberry leaves.

Osage Orange is "Maclura Pomifera", which is also used to make bows and is also the 
source of an orange dye.

Can anyone provide advice as to whether these are varieties of the same tree, or how 
they are related, if at all? Please e-mail your reply to -

[email-masked]
-- 
Stephen Selby
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From: [email-masked] (mel turner)
Date: Sun, 14 Jan 1996 23:48:57

In article <[email-masked]> Stephen Selby <[email-masked]> writes:
>I am researching Chinese bow-making. The preferred wood for making Chinese 
bows>is 
>Osage Orange is "Maclura Pomifera", which is also used to make bows and is 
also>the 
>source of an orange dye.
>Can anyone provide advice as to whether these are varieties of the same tree, 
or>how 

They are very closely related to one another, probably might reasonably be put 
in one genus  but different species  [but  I seem to recall that they 
will hybridize].   They are in the mulberry  family Moraceae, which explains 
the silkworm bit...
mdt

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From: "Thomas W. Kimmerer" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 16 Jan 1996 19:52:16 +0800

Stephen Selby wrote:
> name "Cudrania tricuspidata". 

Sorry, I don't have my taxonomy books at home.  I'll try and look it up 
tomorrow. "Maclura pomifera" is native to Texas and Oklahoma. It is now 
widely naturalized in the eastern US.  As you point out, it provides 
excellent bow-wood (I'm assuming you are talking about hunting
bows; for violin bows, only pernambuco, a variety of brazilwood, is
used; or are you talking about bows for Chinese stringed instruments?). 
 From your description, it sounds as if "Zhe" may be a member 
of the same family, the Moraceae, from which mulberry and the figs
come.  

I'll try to follow up on this, unless there is a kind taxonomist out 
there who knows the answer.

Cheers,
Thomas W. Kimmerer
University of Kentucky
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia