Seed for the Exchange on September 18th

Terri reports about seed hunting in her garden:

^{I have made my rounds of the garden and collected ripe seeds from the following plants. I am listing them here along with pictures in flower and seed. I am learning new things every day. This has been quite the experience. So here are some examples from my garden:}

Wild mustard – no, not Phlox—“Dame’s Rocket” has four petals. Phlox, five. Note the difference in the seed pods pictured below.

This wildflower looks like Phlox but it’s easy to tell them apart. Start pulling Dame’s Rocket flower petals with ‘She Loves Me’ and you’ll find ‘She Loves Me Not’ when you get to the last one. Your garden phlox will always love you because it’s odd. Dame’s Rocket has 4 flower petals compared to the 5 of Phlox. It is a member of the Brassicaceae family.

Hesperis matronalis

Dame’s Rocket is an invasive alien wildflower that has escaped from garden settings it is native to Europe and was brought over to the new world to be used as an ornamental plant. Their aggressive nature is actually a family trait. When it goes to seed Dane’s Rocket gives away it’s family identity. The long seed pods mark it as a member of the mustard family.