easily split open with just a fingernail and have a fairly soft center. I didn't have any luck searching for images by describing them.

==>>> maybe because they are not a nut?????

the distribution of the seed/nut right at the base of the tree seems odd ... with that size trunk.. one would think 99.9% of the canopy isnt above the trunk .... my first thought was vermin ...

just stream of consciousness... no clue if helpful.. lol ...

any idea what the one inch tree trunk next to it was??? ... same tree????

ken

I’d go with basswood, Tilia americana.

tj

The bark is definitely not celtis (hackberry); that bark is warty and fissured. Much more likely to be Tilia, as tsugajunkie suggests. However, I'd go with Tilia cordata. The bark of Tilia americana is more rough than what the OP's photo shows, whereas T. cordata's bark is a dead ringer.

I tried to find any identifiable leaves on the ground, but didn't see either celtis- or tillia-like leaves.

Check out Tilia cordata

Both cordata and americana can have smooth bark at that stage but since this is in hardwood forests of Michigan I would think amercana is more likely.

tj

Actually, Tilia cordata is listed as growing all over the NE, Michigan, Indiana, MN and deep into Canada, and is considered invasive in some of those states, so it could easily be either americana or cordata. We need leaves for a positive ID.

Tilia cordata-BONAP

The blue of the state in that graphic just means it is present in that state. To see where in the state it is, you look for the counties it may be in. In Michigan it is present in two counties.

tj

tj, I realize that. I also realize that the BONAP map is at least 8 years out of date, and that tilia species produce hundreds of thousands of seeds that are bird-dispersed, and cordata is considered invasive in more than one state. So I'm saying we need to see leaves for an ID.

I am going to try and go back Monday and look for leaves. Now that I know that I am looking for either basswood or hackberry that shouldn't be too difficult to either find some on the ground or maybe spot some in the canopy. Thanks to everyone for your input.

These are the leaves and bark from the trees in the area where the seeds were found. These trees are only about 2-3 inches in diameter and only about 20 feet tall and the much larger trees around them seem to be mostly oak.

lol...the leaves look suspiciously like Celtis/hackberry.

Yeah. and that new trunk pic is a whole lot diffent from the first.

tj

Those smaller trees look like hophornbeam (Ostrya). Agree with tsugajunkie that the seeds are probably basswood. Littleleaf linden (cordata) is unlikely to be found in a mature hardwood forest in this region except possibly in a forest edge near a developed area.

Arbordave, I think you're correct and the new photo of leaves is Ostrya. The leaves are too thick and the venation too regular to be hackberry, which was my first impression...mostly because we'd mentioned celtis earlier and it was on my mind, lol.

so were they seeds or nuts? ..

I guess I would say that even though all tree nuts are seeds, it is fair so say that not all seeds strictly qualify as nuts. In this case I would say that these more closely fit the definition of "seeds" since they do not have the typical hard outer shell. I still have not had the chance to return to the park where I found them and try to obtain some more confirmational followup data, such as leaves and bark from other trees in the area, to determine whether these are basswood or hackberry. Most basswood seed photos that I have seen seem to indicate a more oval shape, whereas mine are all round just like hackberry images found online. I also did not see any basswood shaped leaves anywhere in the area. Thanks for all of you input on this subject.