what type of tree?

Question

i have a big tree in my yard that has long pods on it. they are about 12" to 14" inches long. in the spring they drop these green pods all over the place & then in the fall the pods are a dark brown & so hard they are like twigs the raking is almost a never ending job. can anyone tell me what type of tree this is? i've asked several people & even showed them one of the pods, but so far no luck. thanks a lot if you can help me.

Answer 1

From the description of the fruit (pod ) that you hve given only 3 trees come to my mind . I give the photos and the names of each one of them see if they confirm to your expectations or not.

1 ) Pithecolobium saman OR Samanea saman

http://www.stuartxchange.org/Acacia2.jpg

2 ) Albizia lebbek
http://mrkurtzsneighborhood.typepad.com/mr_kurtzs_neighborhood/images/mimosaflowweb_1.jpg

http://goree.rice.edu/files/images/Albizzia%20Lebbek%20fruits%20x.preview.JPG

http://moorea.berkeley.edu/flora/photos/leucaena_leucocephala.jpg

http://goree.rice.edu/files/images/Albizzia%20Lebbek_Goree_3%20x_0_0.preview.JPG

3 ) Delonix regia ==
http://toptropicals.com/pics/garden/m1/kras/Delonix_regia3732s.jpg

http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/images/del_reg_hab.jpg

http://www.biologie.uni-regensburg.de/Botanik/Schoenfelder/kanaren/images/Delonix_regia.jpg

Answer 2

Another possibility that hasn't been mentioned is Catalpa. If the leaves are big and fan-shaped (we used to call them "Elephant-ear Trees") and the pods are cigar-shaped and about a foot or so long, that may be what you have. They have large, mostly white flowers in clusters in the spring. I like them, myself, but the pods are a major pain.

Answer 3

i'm going to guess its a locust tree.

here's the wiki page for one species of locust, the honey locust. at the bottom of the page is a couple images of locust tree pods. go and see if that's your mystery pod or not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_locust

i'm no botanist and only mean this to be a rough guesstimate as to your tree's species. if you want a better identification or before you eat these pods (if you have a honey locust, it says "The pulp on the insides of the pods is edible and sweet; it should not be confused with Black locust, which is toxic"), you should make sure what kind of locust you have and perhaps consult a botanist at your local university.

good luck and hope this helped.

Answer 4

I think it is colloquially known as a ginger tree because if you crack open the pod and eat it, the taste is similar to ginger.