My husband says it's black locust. (I'm trying to get him interested in GW!)
Ginny

Ack! I did some research on your suggestion, and it's ringing a bell! The leaves, the white flowers. I think that is what is in my neighbors yard, on the fence line. I recall removing a few babies of it too; thorny suckers they were. I'll have to investigate the tree further. I don't remember seeing any of those pods on it, but it is located in the far end of my yard. I don't pay much attention to that area, which now, I guess I should, and will. And I'll be picking up all the pods I can find! Thank your hubby for the ID!

Also looks like Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis.

Until you mentioned thorns I thought of redbud or catalpa.

Maybe the neighbor has two trees, one of each. The seed pods are too small for locust, which are 8 to 10 inches in length, and a good inch across. And they are more of a chocolate brown or darker. I have some redbud seed pods that I collected from a friends tree. They are about 2 to 3 inches long and a pinkish tan in color. Locust trees can send out sucker trees for a couple of city blocks, so the ones you removed could have come from anywhere. And the dried seed pods of either tree can be blown from a good distance too.

Why don't you plant some and see what you get.

I think I will plant some and see what happens. I'll pay more attention to my neighbors tree next year. Thanks for the help...

They look like mimosa seeds.

They look kind of flat, but aside from that it looks like Sweet Pea to me. If that's the case you're lucky they are so beautiful. But you mentioned tree, so more than likely you'd know what these were already.

Not catalpa, not locust. Maybe mimosa or redbud. The pods looks a little different than the ones I collected from redbuds this year. Those were very straight. Here is a closeup of a mimosa seed.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1248210}}

Aren't mimosa seeds larger? I'm trying to remember; it's been a long time since I'd seen them. A google search really didn't help me at the moment. I have an 8yo mimosa, but it hasn't bloomed or produced pods yet. I realize someone else could have one, but nobody in my general vicinity does. I had sown some of the seeds just recently, so time will tell (hopefully).

Here's another pic of the seed/pod. I found a site that stated that mimosa seed were 1/2" long.

Mimosa seeds are closer to a 1/4" than a half inch.

mimosa seeds are nearly perfectly oval, like a rounded bar of soap. those look like redbud to me!

No clue here what the name of the tree is,,,,,,,,,,,However: I can tell you that when my boyfriend and I flew to Hawaii,,a couple years ago,,,,,,,these trees were Everywhere!!!!!!!!!Since I am a gardening fanatic,,,,and Love collecting raw material,,seeds and pods,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I picked up many many of these pods and brought them home to Oregon. No luck germinating them,,,but,the Pods are a good conversation starter.

Tracy-

That's locust. They are too big for a redbud and too big for mimosa. Add what you said about about the tree with white flowers and it being thorny...there you go. I dislike the thorns, but the tree is beautiful when it flowers and the foliage is also pretty. Like you noticed though, the seedlings are numerous.

Megan