Hey Maria,
It looks to me like Crepe Myrtle.
Felix

I concur. They're prolific volunteers in my yard!

It has pinnate leaves so its not a CM. Looks like Hercules Club Tree, Zanthoxylum clava-herculis. It is a native and in the same family as Citrus. Older trees get a thorny trunk and larvae of the giant swallowtail use the leaves.

Eric
orlando,FL z9b/10a

Biosphere sells hercules club as a good host plant, and if Eric thinks that's what it is, it's definitely worth keeping. Good on ya! Freebies are fun!

Marcia

I think Eric is correct. Maria crush a leave and see if it smells like citrus. If it does than you have a Hercules club tree. Also known as "tooth ache tree",Natives use the bark of the tree to numb the pain of tooth aches. I have tried it and it is numbing. The pain from being poke by the thorns can last a while. The tree can be invasive by sending its roots and sprouting all over and the seeds are scattered and sprout all over. Farmers and old timers that I know hate this tree. I have a few. I like the creepiness and strange looking trunk.

Here is a picture of my favorite "haunted tree". You can see it has eyes and mouth.
Felix

Thank you, guys. Just crushed leaf and smelled it. Not a citrus smell at all and I have a pretty sensitive nose. More like the smell of legumes.
Maria

Hey, look!
It folded leaves after sundown like my Pride of Barbados does.
Maria

{{gwi:955197}}

Early Brd -
Does you Pride Of Barbados attract Sulphur butterflies(yellow ones), and does it have a long flat seed pod kinda like a bean. I have one and I am assuming it is in the Cassia or Senna family. I have had problems with something other than Su;phur cats making a web between the end leaves. I also had a similiar weed that looked like the one you posted. I never really got an id on it but think it may have been in the Cassia family too. It always had ants on it and got tiny yellow flowers.

"does it have a long flat seed pod kinda like a bean"
Yes, exactly! Didn't see any webs, but it's still a small plant.
Maria

My mystery weed just bloomed. Maybe because it was happy I didn't throw it away but moved carefully to the corner. mboston, you were right, it does bloom with yellow flowers!
Maria


{{gwi:955198}}

Looks like cassia senna to me.