This native wildflower is a member of the buckwheat family. It isn’t a spectacularly showy flower, but it is abundant.
Jumpseed is one of the few flowers blooming in shaded woodlands from July to October in our area. A long thin flower stalk, 2-3 feet tall, arches beside or across hiking trails The tiny flowers are white, greenish-white, and sometimes pink. They are spaced at intervals on the long stem. Eventually, the flowers will bear oval shaped seeds that have a hooked tip, which “jump” off the plant when touched.
Jumpseed is native to Eastern, Central, and Southern North America, and is a very cold-hardy plant. It can grow in full sun but prefers rich, moist to wet, woodland soils in shade to partial shade conditions. Jumpseed can also be found submerged along streams and lakes where the seeds provide food for ducks, micro, and macroinvertebrates.
It is grown as an ornamental, valued especially for its various cultivars with variegated leaves.
Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.
