seeds that POP!!!

I have a habit of collecting seed and putting them in shallow dishes to dry before stashing them. I have found two types of seeds that surprised me with the way they POP and spray the seeds across the kitchen.

The first one was seed pods from a Ruellia. Yes, I know... you are asking yourself why the heck anyone would save Ruellia seed. Well, it was a more unusual trailing type and I wanted to keep a start of it in case I killed the plant. And I was a novice about green stuff. 8 ))

Anyway, I had it sitting on the kitchen counter and when we got in from work, I thought there were tiny black bugs all over the counter and across the floor. I had to put on my glasses before I realized what it was. I learned to cover it and was amazed if the house was quiet you could hear those seed pods popping when dry enough. I then realized how some plants become invasive.

Cutting across the years and I am still drying seeds. Last year, a neighbor gave me a start of a beautiful blooming vine that is native to this area. It is commonly known as the butterfly pea vine. It bloomed well this summer and I have been saving the long pea like pods for seed. Without a thought, they are laying in a shallow bowl and last night I came home to what looked like mouse pills spread around the kitchen counter. I couldn't believe my eyes as I also have more cats than a person should be allowed. Well, I'm slow... these long slender pods had dried and twisted till they popped and sprayed the tiny pea like seeds.

So that's two types of seeds that I've run into that pop and spray to put on the list. Can anyone add to this seed popping list? LOL

Ruellia ~ all types
Centrosema virginianum ~ butterfly pea vine

.

Geraniums
Impatiens
Oxalis corniculata

Thank you ~ I remember hearing the Impatiens popped, but didn't realize the other two did.

Hi Podster,

I just had a similar experience with Croton capitatus ~ Woolly hogwort. I was collecting seeds for a DG member and thought I heard some seeds popping. I put the pods in a pail to dry out & a couple of days later when I checked on them, they had all popped out of the pods and were laying in the bottom of the pail. Actually made things much easier! LOL

btw, I couldn't help but notice your Butterfly pea. I've got a vine growing here that looks just like it but ID'd it as Clitoria mariana AKA Atlantic pigeonwings. I think it's listed in the plant files. I recall having a difficult time trying to ID it and apparently, Centrosema virginianum and Clitoria mariana are often confused. Check it out and let me know what you think?

Here's a pic of mine showing the leaves too.

Wow ~ that is very similar. I am not versed in IDing these. We found the ID for the Centrosema in Wild Flowers of the Big Thicket. It shows photo as well as description. It has photos and descriptions of both. It states the primary difference is the C mariana has more slender flowers and not twining. (?) The seed pods are described differently also... the butterfly pea seed pod halves spirally twisted upon opening.

Odd while I was reading your post, I heard a loud noise and thought the two feline urchins that live here were into something. I turned on the kitchen light to find them both staring at the counter where the covered box of these seeds sit. I opened it and sure enough more had popped. Odd how when one does, quite a few do at the same time.

Wild Geranium/Crainsbill - I've heard popping and have read that the seeds can travel quite a distance!

Did not know the Butterfly pea pod popped!!

I see what you mean ~ there are differences even though they are so similar! I'm definitely not too successful at making proper ID's!

I love the Big Thicket! We looked at quite a few homes in the Woodville area before ending up further north, landing in the Post Oak Savannah.

I am just north of the big thicket and that book has helped ID many, many wildflowers for me.

In this picture, you can see how the pods spiral to pop. These should also grow for you... if you would like some seed, please dmail me.

Pink Fuzzybean - Strophostyles umbellata and Small Fuzzybean - Strophostyles leiosperma pop. I was collecting Small Fuzzybeans last week and they were popping in my hand.

Allwild your flower is a Clitoria.

Fuzzybeans ~ hmmm... I need to look that one up.

Tell us what the determining factor was in your ID of Allwilds' flower?

podster look at the two pictures in this thread the Butterfly Pea is more rounded. On the Clitoria the white patches is a little further down and it has a splash of darker purple between the keel and white patch. The keel on the Butterfly Pea is solid where the Clitoria is split and curling.

I had noticed that but wasn't sure what it was called ~ thanks for clarifying that. pod

Interesting and thank you both for the positive identification. The Clitoria is a slow growing vine here and not aggressive at all, it blooms in spring and fall.

I am also curious and going to look up Fuzzybean!

This really cracks me up!

My husband farms and this time every year during harvest, the mice go nuts! And I HATE MICE LIKE NOBODY'S BUSINESS!

So today was my day off and I'm out in the garden gathering seeds. The double door is open and suddenly I hear some really strange noises coming from the family room. I think "Crap, it's mice!" Now I'm scared to death. I don't even want to go in. An hour or two later I do because it's dark and I can't see a thing. God I hate mice

So my husband and I are sitting watching the Cardinals getting beat up on and I hear a loud CRACK on the bookshelf where I have a ton of paper bowls with various seeds drying. I see a half pod of a black eyed susan vine seed sitting in my angelonia seed bowl. The darn things pop so hard that they jump 2-3 feet!

I'll be able to sleep tonight knowing my seeds are popping, and the mice haven't arrived.

It was so funny to see the first thread was discussing popping seeds!

Black eyed Susan vine ( is that Thunbergia ?) added to the list. LOL Hope you enjoyed a nice day off.

Mice? hmmmm.... sounds like you need a few cats! 8 )

I have a Silky Terrier and they were bred to be mousers. She started acting very strange and sniffing the air when we came into the house, so I was even MORE freaked

LOL ~ keep her close by your side. Might get hit by popping seeds! 8 ))

Too funny! Just late night I related a story to the gang on the Cottage Forum. I'd love to share it with you all as well:

(copy/pasted)
You might remember me talking about the tall phlox seeds I collected last week. (I was perplexed because I thought tall phlox was sterile.) I'd cracked open about 1/4 of the pods - just enough to note that they had seeds in them - then I got busy and left the rest of them on the dining room table. The next morning they were scattered all around, and I was none too pleased with my dog wondering what he'd been up to in the middle of the night. But I scooped them all back up into another pile and forgot about them again...

Until the next morning when I found them scattered EVERYWHERE. They were all over the table, and even on the chairs and floor. Then I noticed that almost all of them had been cracked open and I thought, "OMG it's mice!!!!" Now mice in general don't freak me out. My house is over 100 years old and try as I might I just cannot stay ahead of all their entrances. I swear they're just like Snowbirds, but apparently Florida is too far away for their short lil legs so they try to make do with my house for the winter.

Anyway I was FLIPPING OUT thinking they were climbing up onto my dining room table. So I covered the table with newspaper, put the seeds back in the center, then strategically placed 4 (count 'em - 4 -) traps around the pile. The next morning the seeds had been disturbed (although to a much smaller degree) but no mice were caught. Next day - same story. Rise, lather, repeat.

Well just a few minutes ago I was walking by the table when I heard this "POP!"

Some of you have probably already guessed that there were no mice, just seeds popping out of their pods. It seems now like I've heard some one else talking about that - maybe Star when she was holding seeds during last year's swap? - but I've never experienced it myelf. And of course now that I'm aware of what's going on I know that I've been hearing them pop all along but didn't realize what it was. I probably just thought it was another family of mice banging the door as they moved in for the season.

LOL ~ Join the club!

After I discovered Ruellia popping, I would pick them and clench my hand tight to get them in the house and into a covered container. I had a few pop in hand too. Weird feeling!

Poor mice ~ they catch the blame for everything! ROFLMBO

LOL! funny stories. Apparently mice do get the blame for everything! hahahaha

It looks like there are more popping seeds than we knew ~ or than I knew of!

Just found out Lotus corniculatus pops too.

Lotus corniculatus sounds exotic. Not one I am familiar with, I'll go peek at it.

How does everyone keep the seeds from spraying around ~ once you discovered the popping?

That Lotus corniculatus is very interesting. Although not native, it is found throughout most of the U.S. and good forage food and nectar plant.

I keep my popping seeds in large paper bags, if they pop really far, I put a paper bag over it.

Lotus corniculatus is not exotic, but I like the plant. It blooms very long and it attracts a lot of special bees, hummingbirds and butterflies.
If anyone is interested in a trade: I have seeds of it. The first popped away, but now I know how to handle them.

A picture of the plant

podster

I love your vine, never hear of it before. Do you know the hardiness of it??? what zone?

Jonna.....

How long have you been collecting seeds?

And how many hours do you think you spend on cleaning and packaging seeds......

I can't wait till next year to plant the ones I've gotten from you. And this year I've been collecting my own perennial seeds. this is a first for me. any tips when collecting and how long to wait till storing them?

thanks so much

Janet

Janet,

I collect seeds since 5 years. I spend a lot of time to collect, clean and pack them.
Collecting starts here in May for a few hours per week, from July till September it's 1½ hour per day and from October a few hours per week.
Cleaning them takes more time. Every evening (I don't like to watch TV) I spend a few hours on it.
But if you collect just a few seeds for your self and some trades, it takes not that much time. I also sell me seeds, so I need to collect a lot and I have a lot of plants.

Jonna

Janet ~ it is a native (perennial) here. And this map gives the hardiness zone ~ http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=cevi2 Perhaps it could overwinter if mulched and in a sheltered location like on the south side of a building. I kept some of these plants in a container this summer so that might work for you if you could provide a basement or garage for winter storage when the foliage dies down. If you would like to try some seed, dmail me. I will have some to share.

podster...... oh to be in Texas again..... and not up here in what I call the north dang pole....LOL


you have dmail you sweet thing...

Janet

I can't believe that no body has mentioned wisteria. Mine is planted on an arbor over the back patio which has a concrete floor. When the seeds dry out you can't stand the noise back there with the pods popping and hitting the concrete.

My two worst ones are....bird of paradise shrub, hardy tapioca and Castor beans....oh that was three...lol lol ...

Jody

oh yes jeri11.. thats another one...lol

Well, I didn't know wisteria popped. I always thought it spread by roots. Guess I am never too old to learn.

And I've grown Castor beans and did not know that either. Very interesting. Jody ~ how far south are you to grow Bird of Paradise?

Janet ~ I've always heard there are those that are Texans and those that wish they were. LOL I absolutely can't fault the climate here. signed a former yankee... pod

podster,,,,, I'm a native Floridan who had a blood transfusion in Houston when I was six months old and my grandfather who was a Hoosier wanta be Texan was thrilled to death with I received Texas blood....rofl.

I live in Reklaw, (that is walker spelled backwards cause there was already a walker TX when they went to name the town so they reversed the name..) Trivia for those who are interested.

So I came to be somewhat Texan....lol

wisteria make that much noise..... interesting??

This thread is very enlightening....

Janet

Pod the wisteria does spread by roots but the seeds are that aggressive too!!!! They reminded me of the year we had a live Christmas tree and I was young and dumb and put it next to the fireplace and packaged the gifts in foil paper. The needles dried out and Christmas morning we couldn't hear ourselves think for the noise of the needles hitting the foil packages. NEVER did that again!!!!

I'm about 30 mins south of Montgomery....if you take the Castor beans in when they turn brown but not cracked....you will hear them pop....the first and mind you the only year..lol I grew them I found the seeds all over the kitchen...with 7 dogs..it freaked me out...so I pit them in a lunch bag....then I started to hear them.. allot...

Lunch bags or bags of any kind is a good idea. I've got lots of those Glad containers but don't want to seal the lids so I just pinch once corner and let the container breathe. I was placing paper plates over shallow bowls too but that takes up way too much space.

You know, I can't feature a pet eating stuff they shouldn't unless they are a puppy. Then they are liable to gnaw the whole plant down.

Raining pine needles, now that is a Christmas memory ~ LOL

Reklaw is located near Sacul isn't it? Just on the other side of Nacogdoches... I am about 50 miles east of Nac.... I think there was supposed to be a third backward named town wasn't there?

podster, yep just Reklaw is but a skip and jump from Nacogdoches.... which is a really cool little town.


Janet

Ballsom(?) Touch me nots
seeds flying everywhere

I love their name! I've heard they are difficult to harvest the seed and you almost need to bag the pods to catch them. I think they are also a type of Impatiens?