Last summer, I bought a Tweedia plant (Oxypetalum coeruleum) at a plant sale. It had a few flowers, and three seed pods had formed by the time I brought it inside for the winter. I wasn’t sure they would ripen, but by December they were starting to split.
This plant is related to Milkweeds (Genus Asclepias). I have never grown milkweed or observed it closely, but I did know its seeds have silky white tufts that help them disperse by floating on the wind. It seems Tweedia seeds have this kind of structure as well. The way the seeds and their parachutes are packed into the pod is interesting.
As the seeds detach from the pod, the fluffy parts expand, ready to catch a breeze.
I intend to grow a few plants from these seeds, and hopefully experiment with planting them in different spots. They are on the edge of winter hardiness here (being native to southern Brazil and Uruguay), so may not survive temperatures more than a degree or two below freezing.
Each of the three pods contains dozens of seeds, way more than I need. It seems wrong to keep them in the windless shelter of the house when they look like they should be unfolding their parachutes and taking to the air in search of places to settle and grow. But I hesitate to let them do that, in case they defy the odds of winter survival and become yet another alien invasive. That’s unlikely, though, so maybe one windy day in spring, I will turn them loose and watch them fly.
This photo is from Wikipedia, but I hope to take one of my own Tweedia in flower next summer.
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What fascinating seed pods, and a novel idea to photograph them in close-up.
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Thanks, Denzil!
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Yes! Although I have edited several books for members of my writing group, and my own work, if you have no experience of editing, please contact a professional editor and check their charges!
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Lovely. You are a thoughtful gardener and steward of the land.
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Thanks, JM! I do think about stuff before acting.
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I was immediately struck by the thinness of the seed pod and how the seeds lie within it. The blue flowers are so pretty!
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I was impressed by the structure of the pod. I hope to see flowers this summer!
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Only time will tell!
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They kinda look like cattails. I wonder if they’re related.
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I don’t think so. Milkweeds. Fireweed also has skinny pods that split to release seeds with fluff.
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Wow , so cool💕
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Thanks, Cindy!
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Pretty! The Tweedia seeds and pod look very much like the milkweed I grew up with in Virginia. 🙂
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Thanks, Layla! They are related to milkweed.
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they come with their own parachute!
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Exactly! That’s why I’d like to see some of them float away.
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Take a video, if possible 😃
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Now there’s an idea!
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Yay! I’m looking forward to watching it 😁😇😁
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and may each one carry away a sorrow
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💚
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Interesting.
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Thanks, Patrick!
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So interesting and lovely, Audrey!
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They are! Plants disperse their seeds in so many different ways.
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We are all invasive species.
The Universe’s preferred status quo is zero life, so, by that account, buck the trend and spread thou seeds.
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True enough. The worst that could happen with these is a few of them will sprout, grow, and produce seeds, but I doubt that Tweedia will take over the region.
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What marvellous little flying “creatures” these are!
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And elegant too!
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How beautiful, they look like feathers..
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They do! And for a similar purpose.
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What a pretty blue! I’m assuming the texture is similar to milkweed flowers, which I enjoy. I hope your experiment goes well, Audrey. If anyone can do it, you can. I’ve been wanting to grow milkweed for the monarchs, but haven’t had much luck with my usual gardening style (stick it in the ground and see what happens). 🙂
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I’ve never seen milkweed around here, or if I have I didn’t recognize it. But I’ll definitely plant some of these tweedia seeds and grow a few spare plants and hope for those blue flowers.
Thanks for the encouragement, Diana!
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I think “Showy Milkweed” is the variety that grows out here. I need to try again. 🙂
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I was impressed by the structure of the pod. I hope to see flowers this summer!
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With luck, I will post photos of flowers someday!
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These seed caught my attention. I am always plant everything in my garden . Let’s follow our blogs. Anita
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Thank you, Anita!
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Back in the hippie 70’s, I took a trip across Canada in a Volkswagen van. Along the way I picked a pretty pod of unknown species and put it on the dashboard. A few days later, as we crossed the Saskatchewan prairies, the pod burst open, surprising us all. It was a type of milkweed with the loveliest tufted seeds!
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I really ought to grow milkweed, but I’ll try the Tweedia first. Thanks for reading and commenting, Mollie!
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Good luck!
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Thanks!
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