Mystery seed is back for number 170!
This mystery seed was hard to extract from the fruit that had dried around it.
Perhaps you can recognize the dried fruit instead.
Please let us know if you have an idea what the plant might be.
Edit: The answer is now posted.
Our heart-shaped mystery seeds from last week were from a plant called velvet leaf or Indian mallow, Abutilon theophrasti.
Perhaps if I had shown you this mature seed head, it might have been easier to identify.
Velvet leaf gets its common name from the fuzzy appearance of its leaves.
The short-lived flowers are yellow-orange in color (public domain photograph)
Originally from China, velvet leaf is considered to be an invasive weed in agricultural fields in North America.
Ours was a present from the birds, as it showed up where we had previously scattered birdseed. Fortunately, it does not seem to thrive in our heat.
Have you seen velvet leaf before? It has other common names. What do you call it?
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Mystery Seed of the Week is taking a short break. Next Tuesday I’m going to have some children’s books about seeds.
Our mystery seeds are from plants found throughout North America.
Although the seeds are somewhat heart shaped, they are not loved by farmers.
Any ideas what plant these seeds are from?
Edit: The answer is now posted.
For more information, see Roberta Gibson Writes.
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