(n)small shrubby deciduous yellowwood tree of south central United States having spines, glossy dark green leaves and an inedible fruit that resembles an orange; its hard orange-colored wood used for bows by Native Americans; frequently planted as boundary hedge, Syn.mock orange, bow wood, Maclura pomifera
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English (GCIDE) v.0.53Collaborative International Dictionary (GCIDE)
(Bot.) An ornamental tree of the genus Maclura (Maclura aurantiaca), closely allied to the mulberry (Morus); also, its fruit. The tree was first found in the country of the Osage Indians, and bears a hard and inedible fruit of an orangelike appearance. See Bois d'arc. [ 1913 Webster ]