Can anyone solve a mystery several decades old by identifying this seed pod (see photo)? It was collected on a beach just north of the town of Budva, in what is now Montenegro, in August 1967. A stream ran down to the beach from a marshy valley, and there were wooded hills on either side.
• The mystery seeds are those of the Eurasian water chestnut, . I have seen it growing abundantly on Lake Skadar, which straddles the border between Montenegro and Albania, not far from Budva. The seeds are edible, but need to be boiled to remove a toxin.
“The seeds are the Eurasian water chestnut, which are edible but need to be boiled to remove a toxin”
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The plant is sometimes called water caltrop, from medieval Latin calcatrippa (foot-trap): a reference to its pointed shape, which resembles the eponymous anti-personnel weapon that dates back as far as the 3rd century BC. Caltrops were cast on the ground to slow attacks using horses, elephants, camels or human troops. They continued to be used during the second world war against pneumatic tyres, with good effect.
Harry Percy, Ludlow, Shropshire, UK
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This article appeared in print under the headline “Seeds of doubt”
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