While I was trying to unwrap the 3" in diameter vine that had orange flesh (don't know what it was, exactly) ....
Sounds like poison ivy. Good thing you're not allergic to it.
That's not what my vine looked like. It was as bright orange as a yam, and I look like a Christmas tree in red if I brush against piece of poison ivy grows with a sleeve accidentally and the oil goes through. The that bark is not too far from it, though. Maybe it was. When I got in, I went straight to the washer, put every scrap I was wearing inside, Got some degreaser Dawn and washed down every pore on me. Fortunately, the washer had nothing in it, so everything was quick. I think that when I got out of the maze, I spent 3 or 4 minutes to get to the mud room and shower. I also shampooed with the Dawn and then followed with T-gel that discourages flying field bugs that like to get in between my 30-inch long hair and take naps. Then I dried my hair, grabbed my 100% cotton white twill pants and a cotton long-sleeved t-shirt and took a nap. Retirement has its advantages, and you can pamper yourself a little when you have an experience you'd rather not have had. I'm pretty sure my spider bud survived the toss I sent her to the soft forest floor with. /disclaimer
I have some osage orange ( horse apple trees) and the wood is super-bright orange-ish yellow and dense.
Maclura pomifera - Wikipedia
It was one of the Native Americans favorite bow woods.
Your beau-d-arc tree wood is beautiful. (People call it "Bo-dark" here in the piney woods farm area) I do have a tree like that on the southwest border of my property, and I need to pick up some of those horse apples that are ripe tomorrow. It says it chases spiders out of your kitchen and home wherever you put them. Spiders just don't like the osage orange aka horse apple, since horses can eat them when they fall off the tree.
I found a useful page for this plant (I have several seedlings along the front fence line, and they are pests since my front fence is wood.
The page is here, and doesn't mention spiders:
medicinal herbs: OSAGE ORANGE - Maclura pomifera
Herb: Osage Orange
Latin name: Maclura pomifera
Synonyms: Maclura aurantiaca, Toxylon pomifera
Family: Moraceae (Mulberry Family)
Medicinal use of Osage Orange:
A tea made from the roots has been used as a wash for sore eyes. The inedible fruits contain antioxidant and fungicidal compounds. A 10% aqueous infusion and an extract diluted 1:1 have cardiovascular potentialities.
Edible parts of Osage Orange:
One report suggests that the fruit is edible but this is surely a mistake - although very large, the fruit is harsh, hard, dry and astringent. The fruit does, however, contain an anti-oxidant which can be used as a food preservative, especially for oils. The heartwood and the root yield a non-toxic antibiotic that is useful as a food preservative.
Other uses of the herb:
A yellow dye is obtained from the bark of the root and the wood. Green and orange can also be obtained from it. The sap of the fruit is used as an insect repellent. It is said to be effective against cockroaches. The bark is a source of tannin. The plant is often grown as a hedge in N. America and Europe, it is very tolerant of severe pruning, makes an effective stock-proof barrier and succeeds in maritime exposure. A hedge in a very exposed position at Rosewarne in N. Cornwall has grown well (1989), though it is very bare in winter. This species is also used in shelterbelt plantings. Wood - coarse-grained, exceedingly hard, heavy, flexible, very strong, very durable, silky, lustrous. It weighs 48lb per cubic foot. One of the most durable woods in N. America, it is seldom used commercially, but is used locally for fence posts,piers, bows etc and makes an excellent fuel.
Propagation of Osage Orange:
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in pots in a cold frame. Pre-soak stored seed for 48 hours in warm water and stratify for 2 months at 4�C then sow in a cold frame. Germination is normally good. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. The seed stores for 3 years. If growing larger quantities of plants, it is probably best to sow the seed in an open seed bed. Grow the plants on for a couple of years in the seed bed before planting them out into their permanent positions. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood, November to January in a frame. Layering in summer. Root cuttings 4cm long in December. Plant horizontally in pots in a greenhouse and plant out as soon as possible. Good percentage.
More details here:
medicinal herbs: OSAGE ORANGE - Maclura pomifera
