Editing Maclura pomifera (section)

===Leaves and branches===
Leaves are [[leaf arrangement|arranged alternately]] in a slender growing shoot {{convert|3|to(-)|4|ft|cm|-1|order=flip}} long. In form they are [[simple leaf|simple]], a long oval terminating in a slender point. The leaves are {{convert|3|to(-)|5|in|cm|0|order=flip}} long and {{convert|2|to(-)|3|in|cm|0|order=flip}} wide, and are thick, firm, dark green, shining above, and paler green below when full grown. In autumn they turn bright yellow. The [[leaf axil]]s contain formidable spines which when mature are about {{convert|1|in|cm|order=flip}} long.

[[Branchlet]]s are at first bright green and pubescent; during their first winter they become light brown tinged with orange, and later they become a paler orange brown. Branches contain a yellow pith, and are armed with stout, straight, axillary spines. During the winter, the branches bear lateral buds that are depressed-globular, partly immersed in the bark, and pale chestnut brown in color.