What on earth are you!??

So, this weekend I went to visit a friend in Central Texas.  Along the side of the road I spied these really intriguing pink/red seed pods.  Originally I thought they were blossoms that hadn't yet opened, but upon closer inspection they are seed pods.  On the inside they have flat, brown seeds about the size of half my pinkie nail (maybe 1/4-1/2 inch).  I snatched up one of the pods to plant the seeds and grow these myself since I liked them so much.
But the bigger question is:  What the heck are these guys???  I'm going to post some pictures at the end of this blog for you to see.  The pods have similar cavities to okra pods with thin, shiny walls between them.  But instead of curling open along the seams like okra pods do, these guys dry out until one of the four sections they are made up of breaks along the seams and curls down, revealing the inside of the pod.  They've got spikes on the outside but you can't poke yourself on them unless you're trying really hard to.

This is why I garden.  I am completely entranced by new and interesting plants.  This guy is probably nothing more than a roadside weed at best, but to me, it's a very special plant.  It's interesting and new and I look at these pods and wonder "what does the flower this started as look like???"  and "do birds or animals eat these pods?"

Anyway, the garden's coming along and I'm very pleased.  I'm going to email the local university here and see if their hort. department can lend any insight.  Please let me know if you've got any information on this plant!!!  Also, on another hot topic, I've found a source for red potato onions!!!  Next time: Potato onions and their awesome history and uses and the sad reality that they aren't that common anymore.

Thanks again!
-The Heiress

UPDATE: Thanks to Dr. Cynthia McKenney at Texas Tech University, I now know these flowers are a native prairie flower named Antelope Horns.  These are a relative of Milkweed and the natives once used the sap to brand the noses of their cattle.  Cool what you learn, huh??