Phil L wrote:
:: Pam Moore wrote:
:::: On Tue, 2 Nov 2004 19:11:38 +0000, Alan Gould
:::: wrote:
::::
:::::
::::: A friend in Worcs. sent me two seed pod heads of a plant he
::::: wishes to identify. The plant grows among crops at a farm near
::::: to Evesham. He says it has a yellow flower a bit like that of a
::::: cucumber and it grows to about 2 ft. tall. The farmer says that
::::: it has appeared annually 'since his father's day' and he thinks
::::: it may be a relic from a latterday crop. The heads are oval
::::: rugby ball shaped, about 5cm./2ins. tall x 3cm./1.25 ins. dia.
::::: The shell resembles that of a young horse-chestnut, softish
::::: mid-green pith lined flesh, very spiky and in four lateral
::::: segments. Inside the shell are hundreds of tiny 3mm./0.15ins.
::::: dia. smartie shaped seeds similar in colour and texture to that
::::: of chestnuts. The heads have grown on stiff 0.6cm./0.25ins.
::::: dia. hollow fibrous stems. Leaf material on the stems was too
::::: deteriorated to provide any detail.
:::::
::::: Possibly in the Arctium or Cirsium families? TIA.
::::
:: iris pseudacorus var?
::
:: I've no idea about latin names or anything like that but they
:: sound exactly like the fruit of Iris ...is the feild waterlogged
:: in places?
:: I noticed a few weeks ago while fishing that these 'bananas' split
:: open and drop their seeds into the water at about this time of
:: year..the closest picture I could find to the one's i'm thinking
:: of, is he
::
http://www.pondplants.co.uk/images/p...acorus_var.jpg
:: and
:: http://www.sugarcreekgardens.com/IrisPseVariegata.jpg

The seed pods are like this:

http://www.waldhang.de/bilder/0109053.jpg