Wild plants growing in the compost pile.
Have you ever seen these plants? Do they look familiar to you? This plant is growing in my compost pile pretty regular now. But I have no idea what it is. I looked through my wild plant field guides and could not find it.
Close up view of the plants.
I almost think it could be Jerusalem artichokes, except that the flower, though being yellow, looks different. Their flower is like a yellow daisy or small sunflower with a yellow center. Does anyone looking at this know if it is in fact, a Jerusalem artichoke?
Sunlight shining on the wild plants.
The reason I think that is what it could be is because a few years back my friend Hilltop Daisy gave me some to plant. I planted them and they grew out of site! My little round bed is under my clothesline and I could not even use the clothesline. My husband and I pulled them up and never harvested them. We threw them out in the berry patch which isn't far from our manure pile. So now as I write this it occurs to me that it is very possible that it is indeed, the Jerusalem artichoke. Does anyone reading this know if that is what it is? Or that it might be?
Close up of the yellow flower that grows on this plant.
See the yellow flower is completely different from the one I have seen on Jerusalem artichokes. So if you have some idea what it could please leave a comment so I can research it. Thank you so much!
NOTE: Thanks to my readers, I have found that my plant is Yellow Jewelweed. A plant my good friend, Jamie has posted about on her blog in the post, Jewelweed and Poison Ivy. Now I am looking forward to its return in the spring!
Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
8 comments:
I think it's yellow jewelweed.
Alison, thank you so much! I put in Google images and that is right. That is exactly what it is! Thank you so much. I have never came across the jewelweed before even though my friend Jamie talks about it all the time.
Kat, I like that you posted this. I had never heard of either of these plants. You have increased my knowledge. Will you now remove these plants or will you let them grow?
I have those in my yard, and my neighbor said they were a type of impatiens flower. They explode seeds when you touch them. They contain a liquid that is the same ingredient as what is in preparation H! Ha ha! Supposedly it is a natural remedy for poison ivy.
Ooo, jewelweed is great! It distributes its seeds through explosive seed pods: when you touch the seed pod, it literally explodes. Of course, that could probably explain why you have so much of it. . . Maybe it's not "great" if it's growing in an "unwild" place. ;)
Oh, now I have learned something too. Needed to check the dictionary in addition! Just read Wikipedia and apparently there are 900 different kinds of this weed. Apparently slightly poisonous too. What is your friend Jamie doing with this weed as it is apparently slightly poisonous?
Hi Kat,glad you got an answer already! We did plant a few J. artichokes last year and we're looking forward to harvesting some....once the snow disappears.
Thank you for all the comments. The yellow jewelweed is a type of impatiens. I will let them grow as they are pretty and are growing in the compost pile so they aren't in the way.
Paula, all plants contain poisons. Jamie uses it for poison ivy which she seems to get often. Here is her post about it on her blog: http://slatehill.blogspot.com/search/label/Jewelweed
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