Hmm..I need more information. It looks like a basic Flambouyant tree offering on the face of it. Where did you find it?

Given your description of the pod, I’m tempted to say it’s a tamarind tree. I don’t recall flamboyants having pods.

Vernon, I found the pod on the ground in Cumuto. Next time I go out there I’ll take a closer look at the tree. Aren’t flamboyant pods round in section, though? These pods are flattish.

JP, definitely not a tamarind. These pods are much larger than tamarind fruit.

They are somewhat flattened to my recollection as seen here
http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/600max/html/starr_020630_0014_delonix_regia.htm
and here:
http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/flora/plant_life/seeds/2793053_seed_pod.php?id=2793053
I have certainly seen them do the complete curl thing .

Interesting. Either there is a rendering problem in both Camino and Safari or some strange phenomenon at work with my pasted links as they are exceeding the comment bounding box.

Thanks for the images, Vernon. I think we may be on to something – a Royal ponciana, to be exact. What would we yokels do without you?

And there is a problem with long links and my comment box, but I think that has to do with the WordPress theme I’m using. A site redesign is in order, I know, but it’s #352 on my to-do list, so probably isn’t going to happen any time soon.

Thanks again.

I don’t use WordPress but since you do…you might find this hint interesting.
( sorry to do the wrap thing again)
http://www.robservatory.com/archives/2007/03/07/rework-the-wordpress-administration-screens/

Well, you already got an answer, but I just wanted to add that here in Barbados, we call the tree (and the pods) “shak shak”. I remember when I was a kid using the pods with the seeds inside like maracas. You can sometimes find colourfully decorated/painted shak shak pods on sale in souvenir shops and the like.