I’ve often noticed these things, but never really been curious about them till now. I live in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. There is a tree near my place, a kind that I’ve seen sporadically about before, that drops green fruits that look almost like a Granny Smith apple, but just slightly more oval-shaped, and with a dull skin. The squirrels seem to love these and will gnaw on them for ages.
Today I passed a fallen fruit on my way home from work and took it with me. I dissected it in the sink. It was somewhat soft and easy to cut through, the pulp being a tannish colour about the consistency of a baked potato. It had gone dark brown in a couple spots, which were also inhabited by a small white larvae of some sort. The fruit itself was shallow, maybe only a half-inch deep, and housed a pit in the middle that was a light tan colour. The pit was rough and the fruit was well adhered to it. The entire thing had a pungent spicy smell about it, almost like nutmeg.
Sorry I don’t have a picture (camera’s batteries are dead). Any idea what this thing is?