Can you identify this fruit?

[Smellincoffee]

Yesterday while clearing a site covered with debris from the April tornadoes, the group I was with discovered some odd plants growing underneath a ruined tree.

The spines were pointy, but young and tender enough that they didn't hurt. The man who owns the land said he'd heard that kids used them as hallucinogens. Any ideas?

 

[El_Machinae]

It kinda looks like datura?

 

[Antilogic]

Where were you? What geographic region? Southern US like in your avatar?

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

The spines looks like the horse-chestnuts we have up around here but the part where it attaches & the insides don't so it's probably not.

 

[Smellincoffee]

Where were you? What geographic region? Southern US like in your avatar?

Yes -- Hale County, Alabama, which is more southerly than Montevallo.

It kinda looks like datura?

From what I read on Wikipedia, if that isn't an exact match for what we found it must be fairly close. Not only are they very similar in appearance, but Wiki says they contain " toxic hallucinogens". The fellow who owns the land had also heard that they were poisonous. Thanks.

 

[Narz]

So, did you try any?

 

[Birdjaguar]

I'm pretty sure its datura. Google "datura seed pods" and click on images. IIRC Georgia O'Keeffe did a bit of datura while painting in NM. many of her paintings look like sixties art done under the influence of LSD.