Velvety pear shaped pods

Greetings! I've checked out DG a few different times and even created a login but then kept forgetting to come back- so much internet, so little time! Anyway, today I finally decided to post for the first time. I'm an American (Californian, to be exact) living in rural Queensland with my Australian husband- we're about an hour south and a bit west of Bundaberg. Nice to meetcha!

I've uploaded a few photos to the Plant Files and will continue to do so - when I know what things are! Which brings me to the subject of my post- does anyone know what this is? I found it growing at a rest stop among the banksias and eucalypts. The pods are velvety and when they split open, two light brown winged seeds are inside. I just planted two seeds today, we'll see what happens. In the meantime if anyone knows what it is I'd love to hear from you!

This will be the first of many plants I'll bug you all about, so thanks in advance for any help you can offer :)

Andi Hazelwood

A photo (not a very good one) of the split pod...

And finally a photo of the tree itself. There must be a simple way to post these all in one comment!

Cheers,

Andi

Welcome andi,good to have you on board... how long have you lived here in qld.?
your pic looks like woody pear ..try xylomelum..this may be it...cheers.

This message was edited Mar 15, 2007 5:10 PM

Thanks for that brical1! We got here in November 2005 and lived with my brother in law in Greenbank for several months before we found, purchased and moved onto our property. So 16 months - long enough to have most things figured out, and to realize there's plenty I'll never understand - like the passion for cricket and lamb ;)

Thanks for the tip on xylomelum, I'll check it out! Cheers!

Andi

This message was edited Mar 15, 2007 7:29 PM

...turning the light switches down for on and driving on the left would have left the cricket obsession and lamb (yum) in the shade as far as getting used to stuff, I imagine. Wait a month or so, andihazelwood, and the obsession will be with football instead :)
It looks to me like a Kapok tree. If the pods develop fine white fibres later, that may be what it is.

Hi fourx! Yep, those things definitely were difficult to get used to at the start but I don't even think of them now. I think brical1 is right about them being xylomelum, as the pods don't seem to change after they split open and drop their seeds. Cheers!

Hi Andi, from 'over the ditch'.
I am sure you will grow to like lamb but not sure about the cricket.
Although, as you live in the country with the best cricketers in the world and with an Aussie husband it is sure to become part of your life.
Just to start you off, New Zealand beat England by 6 wickets!!! And I think I heard that Pakistan was beaten by Ireland.
I believe one can post a collage of photos, can be done if you have Picassa which is a free download.