Himalayan Balsam

Description:

by the river, out in force. sorry for the quality photos. According to wikipedia Himalayan balsam is an invasive species, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impatiens_g... : 'The aggressive seed dispersal, coupled with high nectar production which attracts pollinators, often allows the Himalayan Balsam to outcompete native plants.' In reference to efforts to control Himalayan balsam wikipedia says this: 'a recent study (Hejda & Pyšek, 2006) concludes that in some circumstances, such efforts may cause more harm than good. Destroying riparian [river bank?] stands of Himalayan Balsam can open up the habitat for more aggressive invasive plants such as Japanese knotweed and aid in seed dispersal (by dropped seeds sticking to shoes). The research suggests that the optimal way to control the spread of riparian Himalayan Balsam is to decrease eutrophication, thereby permitting the better-adapted local vegetation that gets outgrown by the balsam on watercourses with high nutrient load to rebound naturally. Regarding stands of the plant at forest edges and meadow habitats, they caution that these conclusions do probably not hold true; in such localities, manual destruction is apparently still the best way to stem or slow the expansion of Himalayan Balsam.'

Notes:

gb - no sample