Anyone recognize these?

While doing a little yard cleanup yesterday I found three of these about 5 feet up in a large old Carolina Allspice bush (Calycanthus) I'm assuming they are cocoons of some sort. They are a good 3 - 4 inches long.

Thanks for any help.

I think those are the pods. Our sweet betsy makes those and the seeds are in it.

That was my first thought as well missingrosie, seed pods, but it is so different holding them in ones hands and seeing a photo so i hesitated to speak up :-)

HaHa! I have 100 % track record in the plant identification forum.....of BEING WRONG!

It is a guarantee....and so I guess I have no qualms about being wrong in Butterflies and Hummingbirds.

I have this shrub ( we call sweet betsy ) and so the few pods it makes are recognizable to me...don't have much luck with the seeds but it suckers everywhere. I pull up dozens each year.

Seed pods! Of course....but it sure was fun imagining what might emerge come spring!
Took me right back to a favorite book as a kid 'The Girl of the Limberlost'.and her finding and wondering about and raising most every thing in the Limberlost forest, field and swamp.

There are some butterflies and moths that nectar or host on calycanthus aren't there? Can I feel the seeds through the pod? Love the name sweet betsy!

Thanks

When the pod was mature...I think it may have rattled.

I will have to check that book out my granddaughter may like it she is always hauling home seeds and bugs and rocks and webs

Calycanthus floridus (Carolina Allspice) is reported to attract butterflies and hummingbirds with its sweet nectar. Some members of the Noctuidae Family (Owlet moths) are reported to use Calythanus as a host plant but i don't know if this occurs in your area. You might want to research this further.

Missingrosie, your grand daughter sounds like me!
Let me know if she likes the book. It was written in 1909 so also a 'history' lesson. One of the themes is what happens when a 'developer' offers to buy the family land as they are planning to develope the Limberlost ( a huge natural swamp area in Indiana where Gene Stratton Porter, the author/naturalist lived in real life.) This was one of the first environmental books to raise questions around the wholesale destruction of native habitats in America's developement.

Vitrsna will do some more looking up on this shrub, and since mine doesn't seem to sucker where it is growing in almost full shade, maybe I can plant the seeds! The flowers are barely noticable but the scant fills the front yard.

Hey, it's a good thing I didn't post my ID question on the Bud Forum and really embarrass myself.

Thanks again

Barely noticeable.........that doesn't describe our flowers. This is our flower

About 1.5 to two inches....looks like thinly carved wood ...like it if it were carved with a potato peeler

Have you read A Land Rememberd?? Finally ( Finally ) available electronically you may like that a lot.

This message was edited Oct 31, 2015 2:11 PM