With The Name 'Mr. Noisy’s Exploding Plant',

the popularity of the Himalayan balsam plant was assured,

its Latin name, Impatiens glandulifera, strikes fear into any gardener that knows it, photograph RHS/Advisory, but it has an attraction that makes it popular apart from its blue flowers, a very peculiar colonizing system – its seed pods literally explode when touched or otherwise disturbed, shooting the seeds up to 7 meters in every direction, a native of India and Pakistan, the Himalayan Balsam has managed to invade 23 European countries, as well as the United States, Canada and even New Zealand,

 its exploding seed pods allow the plant to rapidly spread into nearly impregnable thickets that reach over 3-meters-tall, smothering all other plant life to death. However, humans have played a pretty big part in its successful colonization of the world, this isn’t just another invasive weed, it’s a very attractive one. The Balsam has these beautiful purple flowers that people love so much that they historically spread seeds in the wild just so they could see them on the sides of roads. Today, many communities around the world are struggling to keep the plant in check, organizing seasonal “bashing” sessions to clear large swathes of land and protect other plant life,

 so entertaining can it be to see the pods “pop” that it has even been marketed as a novelty for children – “Mr Noisy’s Exploding Plant” – once sold by, among other outlets, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the main issue with this plant is that it’s very aggressive, muscling out native plants until it’s the only one left. That’s particularly problematic on riverbeds, where it leaves vast swaths of land exposed to harsh winters as well as erosion. It has been blamed for natural disasters such as landslides and altering the flow of rivers, which leads to flooding, “The problem with it is that it creates quite vast stands which compete with our native flora,” Emma Harrington, of the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, told the BBC. “In the winter it dies back and leaves bare soil, so then you’ve got a risk of soil erosion and it can contribute to flash flooding.” I know I should not say it, but if I saw one of those pods I would just have to pop it!