Wordless Wednesday

Does this look familiar to anyone?

What could this be? A very well disguised grenade? An ancient weapon of torture? Believe me touching one of these is torturous, those thorns are very prickly and sharp.

It’s a seed pod and it’s at least the size of a golf ball or a regular sized plum if not bigger. Actually, looking at the photo I’d say that it was about that size when I took the photo.

This seed pod forms immediately after the short lived flower drops off. It takes a week or more for the seed pod to reach this size. Seed pods form throughout the growing season. I’ve found that if I remove the seed pods – naturally with heavy gloves or by carefully positioning my pruners I get more flowers than I would if I left the pods on.

This flower is not hardy to my Canadian zone 6a, or USD zone 5B garden, but I seem to miss a seed pod or two each year, or so I think, and the plant regrows each summer.

I have two of these plants. One has large white flowers and the other has very pale mauve flowers. The blooms have a heavenly almost jasmine like scent, but it’s leaves smell when crushed between the fingers. I can’t describe the smell well – rank, musky, unpleasant.

Oh yes, this plant is said to have been used by native Indians for it’s hallucinatory properties – even though it is a very poisonous plant.

What type of plant does this seed pod come from?

Update: For those of you who were wondering – it’s a DATURA seed pod.