This is the fruit of the European water chestnut, Trapa natans. Also known commonly as devil pods, they float and can be found up and down the Hudson and less frequently on area beaches. The plant is a fast spreading invasive. They have been used for food and medicinal purpose in Europe for 5000 years or more. Strangely, they are becoming rarer and rare there, while flourishing here.
Natural Object: Water Chestnut
8 responses to “Natural Object: Water Chestnut”
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here’s an interesting article on the Water Chestnut:
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/invasivetutorial/water_chestnut.htm
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Great post; I have found some remarkably symmetrical European water chestnut pods. The color and texture both remind me of medieval woodwork.
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[…] natans. Masses of the floating seedpods were cluttered along the wrackline at Little Stony Point. I’ve noted them before; the form fascinates me. Same location. A thick patch of Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) was still pendulous with […]
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when I found my first ever water chestnut pod on the shore of Lake Ontario in New York, I thought it was a piece of plastic from a kids toy like a transformer or space alien!!! At least now I know what they are!!!
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Mom found these along the Rappahannock River, Virginia, in 1944 and strung them as a one of the main decorations on my first Christmas tree. Pop was stationed at Quantico at the time. I still have the string of them as I celebrate my 73rd birthday in 2017!
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Happy birthday!
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I found one of these on 46th st beach Ocean City NJ. May 5, 2023
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It’s a freshwater plant, but the fruits float all over…. Here in NYC, they float down the Hudson and other estuary waterways, ending up on beaches all around the boroughs.
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Backyard and Beyond 
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