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submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by over_clox@lemmy.world to c/whatisthisthing@lemmy.world

Sorry for potato quality, but it's soft and fuzzy on the outside, and the inside is somewhat mushy and is a light yellow/green color, and it's about 2 inches long.

Found under some trees at our city park in South Mississippi.

Edit: I'm now seeing a number of the fuzzy peels laying around one of the picnic tables, so is it some sort of food?

Edit 2: It doesn't seem to have any notable smell that I can tell.

Edit 3: Solved - Magnolia Flower Bud

We're actually sitting under a Magnolia tree right now and I just looked up and saw one still on the tree, so this is now 100% confirmed.

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[-] misericordiae@literature.cafe 4 points 2 months ago

My first thought is maybe a magnolia flower bud? Not sure it's the right fuzzy though. You might see if you can identify the park trees.

[-] over_clox@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Damn, you nailed it!

Magnolia flower bud!

We're actually sitting under a Magnolia tree right now and I just looked up and saw one still on the tree, so this is now 100% confirmed.

Open it, if it's full of fluffy white filling with seeds, it's a milkweed pod.
It's a favorite among monarch butterflies

[-] over_clox@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

I just did, it's filled with a whole bunch of seeds alright, but they're definitely not fluffy.

They are soft however, they measure around 15mm long and about 2mm wide, and are mostly the same color as the outer layer once the peel is removed, except the end of the seeds attached to the core is red.

I tasted one of the little seeds and almost immediately spit it out, it tasted about like pine sap, and had a very green smell to it.

If by chance it actually is a milkweed pod, it has to be an unripened one. Or just something else altogether. 🤷

this post was submitted on 27 Apr 2025
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