I came across a large, green pod (5" long and 3.5" - 4" wide) shaped like a four-sided lantern with sharply formed edges (somewhat reminiscent in general form to a chinese lantern), sloping down to an elongated bulbous end (5/8" wide and 1.5" long) with a long thready "string" coming out the end of the bulbous protrusion. The pod was floating in the sea off the north coast of Jamaica. Can anyone identify the mystery tree from which the pod fell? One person called it (sounded like) a "barontonia". The person also said that he knew of only three such trees growing along the Jamaican coastline in the area. All help is welcome. Many thanks!! R.
Might be a Sea Poison Tree (Barringtonia asiatica) Here is some pictures I found of Barringtonia asiatica: http://toptropicals.com/pics/garden/04/5000/4701.jpg http://toptropicals.com/pics/garden/05/7/7369.jpg http://toptropicals.com/pics/garden/m1/EleNZ/Barringtonia_asiatica093el.jpg http://toptropicals.com/html/toptropicals/catalog/photo_db/B.htm
That's it, that's the pod!! Thanks so much, TreeGuy! You have solved the mystery. It's no wonder I couldn't find anything on the internet - I was using an incorrect spelling.