# What kind of tree has this seed?



## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

There were some trees at a zoo in Missouri that were covered with these bright orange seeds. The dried seed pod curled from the seeds and there were 2 or 3 seeds hanging out of each seedhead. These got broken off the seedhead in traveling, but you can see what they looked like.
Anybody know what kind of tree these were? The leaves on the tree seemed to have frost/freeze damage, but the trees themselves were quite big.


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## swamp man (Dec 25, 2005)

Might be a dogwood. Remember anything about the leaf shape or bark texture?


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## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

No I don't remember the bark at all, the leaves were green colored and had frost damage.
I called the zoo and talked to the zoo director. He's going to go look at the trees and see if he can find out what they are and let me know.
I love all kinds of growing plants and these seeds were just so unusual looking. I spent more time looking at the seeds than the rest of the tree.


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## chris30523 (Jun 11, 2005)

Looks alot like a strawberry bush,the locals call it" hearts a bustin with love" Ours here the husk is bright pink but I have not seen it later in the fall the deer eat them all.I think it is "euonymous Americanus"(SP)? Maybe some other form of it .The trees here are a small understory shrub with small leaves .


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## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

Chris that does look alot like it, but I don't think that's it.
See these pics of Euonymus americanus.

http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/image/e/euam7-frbottom16633.htm

http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/image/e/euam7-fr16582.htm


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## RoseGarden (Jun 5, 2005)

We have hearts a burstin' on our property here, and at first I thought it might be that but when the picture loaded, I can see it's not. The outer wings of the seed capsule of hearts a burstin are much darker, like dark redddish brown, and they have definite nubby protuberances on them, like a rough sandpaper texture.

Also, if I am not mistaken, hearts a burstin is usually shrubby. They are quite brittle also, and I have never seen one large enough to be tree form.

I dont' know what it is, but it's not hearts a burstin.


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## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

It's still a mystery. So far I've heard nothing back from the zoo.


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## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

I pulled up at work and parked in an area I don't normally park at. I'm looking out my windshield and I see the same berries on a shrub.
I swiped a cluster of berries and a leaf. 










The zoo director called me back and left a message saying it is a pyrancantha. I can't find one with berries that look like this tho.
Does the leaf ring any bells for anyone now?


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## chris30523 (Jun 11, 2005)

What you are showing there doesn't look like the pyrocantha I am used to.


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## DoubleBee (Nov 13, 2006)

Kind of looks like my star magnolia leaves and seeds, but the seed pod looks different.


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## o&itw (Dec 19, 2008)

flowergurl said:


> I pulled up at work and parked in an area I don't normally park at. I'm looking out my windshield and I see the same berries on a shrub.
> I swiped a cluster of berries and a leaf.
> 
> 
> ...


If it is a pyracantha, it must be a strange variety, they usually don't have a noticible husk.... while they can get farily large if trained to a wall, they are not the size one would usually call a tree. The berries are usually shaped differently, and while the leaf is of that general shape, the leaves are not usually that large in comparison to the berries. Many of the trees there and at Shaw's garden (St Louis Arboretum) have come from around the world.. if you are there again, maybe you could get a picture of the tree and a close up of the bark.


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

Looks like something in the Magnolia family to me.


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## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

I located the landscaping company that planted the shrubs at work, i think. I sent them the picture above and they thought it might be a wahoo tree, but asked for another picture of the shrub in question. I don't think it is myself because the husk is the wrong color.
Soon as the weather warms up a bit, I will get another picture of the whole shrub at work.


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