Pink river side flower for ID please :-)

[sunnydale]

Hi all,

Quite a few of these around while walking by the river near Hathersage yesterday. The flower heads reminded me of Snapdragons!

Any ideas?



Thanks,

Tracey

[Jason Claxton]

Hi looks like Indian Balsam.Impatiens noli-tangereJason

[Jason Claxton]

oops Ive given the wrong latin name,should read Impatiens glandulifera.Sorry.jason

[sunnydale]

Hi Jason,

I've just done a quick google and yes, it appears you're spot on!

Thanks muchly,

Tracey

[treecreeper]

Tracey, shake the stem gently and watch the seed pods explode. Great fun.

[Sneezewort]

Hi Tracey

I would definitely say it was Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens balsamifera). It grows like wild-fire on our river banks here up north.

...but like Treecreeper says - the seeds are fun to pop

Sneezewort

[Malcolm Fraser]

it's also one of the top 5 invasive non-native plant species in the UK, spreads like wildfire...

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by Sneezewort

Hi Tracey

I would definitely say it was Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens balsamifera). It grows like wild-fire on our river banks here up north.

...but like Treecreeper says - the seeds are fun to pop

Sneezewort

I. glandulifera!

[sunnydale]

Originally Posted by aeshna5

I. glandulifera!

Thanks aeshna!

[Stinky Bob]

Its a horrible invasive plant and should be pulled up before the seeds are ripe, its wipes out other vegation and is ruining our river banks

[Sneezewort]

I absolutely agree Stinky Bob. In fact, despite my lighthearted comment above about popping the seeds, we spend a lot of time ripping this stuff out of river banks - like you say, at the flower stage is best, before the seeds get a chance to set. Himalayan Balsam is up there with Japanese Knotweed for me on the list of plants I wish had never reached these shores.

Sneezewort

[cutecoot]

Originally Posted by Stinky Bob

Its a horrible invasive plant and should be pulled up before the seeds are ripe, its wipes out other vegation and is ruining our river banks

Yes, where I used to live I had a stream running alongside my house and used to spend all my time pulling this stuff out! It had invaded the banks of the stream (Felbridge Water) much further down too, and conservationists there have to pull *thousands* out every year!

p.s How do you tell the difference between the two different types?!

[Stinky Bob]

Originally Posted by Sneezewort

Himalayan Balsam is up there with Japanese Knotweed for me on the list of plants I wish had never reached these shores.

Sneezewort

I was reading up about knotweed not so long ago and found out that you cannot dispose of it on landfill sites only certain licensed sites, not even the soil that it grows in, it is covered by the Wildlife and Countryside Act. It's roots can go 7m horizontally and 5m down, it can lay dormant for years and its estimated that it will cost Britain £2.6 billion to clear it. Lets hope that the insect called aphalara itadori passes all the tests and gets to work.

Originally Posted by cutecoot

Yes, where I used to live I had a stream running alongside my house and used to spend all my time pulling this stuff out! It had invaded the banks of the stream (Felbridge Water) much further down too, and conservationists there have to pull *thousands* out every year!

p.s How do you tell the difference between the two different types?!

The stem on balsam is green, on knotweed green with purpley red spots, the flowers of balsam are purplish pink and sometimes (rarely) white, knotweed is greenish white.

[sunnydale]

Originally Posted by treecreeper

Tracey, shake the stem gently and watch the seed pods explode. Great fun.

Thanks for the tip TC. I'll look forward to that!