I'm starting to think about grafting again this spring and I'm running into some questions about Osage Orange as a possible rootstock.

Does anyone know more about using this tree as rootstock? It seems that it can be used for a wide variety of trees. I've heard mention of it being used as rootstock for things like Che fruit, Kousa Dogwood, & a host of other types of fruiting and flowering trees that I can't recall specific examples of at the moment.

This is what has me puzzled. How can such a wide variety of un-related tree types be grafted onto it? I thought rootstock had to be closely related to the scionwood in order to be viable.

If Osage Orange is such a vigoruos, hardy rootstock, why bother with something that is more closely related? I understand that certain rootstocks are selected for very specific reasons such as disease resistance or some similar such. So I can see that you wouldn't want Osage in every instance.

If anyone knows more about Osage as a rootstock and how broad of a spectrum it covers as such, I'd really appreciate the insight you have to offer. I'm sure there are others that would share my appreciation as well. So thanks in advance for the input.

Here's a google link of images to what the Osage Orange tree and fruit looks like:
http://www.google.com/search?q=bodock+tree+picture&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7ADSA_enUS403&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=n0PaTpzmNsy1twe4rfDsAQ&ved=0CCsQsAQ&biw=1152&bih=652

-Bill

Bill, I have a twenty year old or so tree. It is the rootstock for a our Che tree.

I've grafted male and female che onto osage orange. Its my understanding that che by itself puts out a lot of suckers and by grafting onto osage the suckering is eliminated.

The Osage root stock we have has a lot thorns, and the Che that is grafted on it, also has a lot of thorns.

Bob,

Sorry about the misunderstanding. I don't have a Che tree. It's just one that I've heard is grafted onto Osage.

Anyone else have comments about using Osage as a "universal" rootstock?

I grafted 3 che on osage orange last spring and they all took and made good growth. You can order it with your figs from UC Davis they sent me 1 scion which I cut in 3 and used a bark graft. I have never heard prior of grafting a cornus/dogwood on OO. I would question that being sucessful.

I agree, the only thing that I've heard the OO being used for is rootstock for che.

Well, folks I think I must have mis-read somewhere. I was beginning to think that OO was some kind of "universal" rootstock. I must be wrong about my initial understanding. Wouldn't that have been convenient though ;) ?

So how about I address what I was really trying to get at - Does anyone know of an alternate (perhaps more closely related) rootstock that figs can be grafted onto? I'm wondering about something that can be grown in a wide range of temp zones and still behave pretty much the same. Mulberry maybe? Any suggestions? 

I think that mulberries are the closest relative to figs. If it works will the fig grow to 50ft?

Fig wood is about half as dense as OO wood, mulberry wood is somewhere in between. I am not sure if that makes a difference for grafting, but there is a real difference between the families. Is che a dense wood?

Che trees and osage orange are the same genus, so maybe that's why they are used for grafting..

I was confused by that last post. My understanding was....

Osage Orange is Maclura pomifera
Che is Cudrania tricuspidata Bur. ex Lavallee

They must have recently reclassified Che. It now has the botanical name of...
Maclura tricuspidata

Thanks Scott, I learned something new!