Pickerel weed seed?

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Hi all.. my pickerel weed had finished flowering last week and I decided to check out what was left behind. Are those little black things seeds where the blooms were? Also is it worth trying to grow from seed next year? I feel like such a newbie but then again we just bought this house in April so I am excited to have plants and cool stuff growing... trying to learn as much as I can. Thanks
 

addy1

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from the net:

Pickerelweed has often been used for food. Each fruit contains a nutritious, starchy seed that can be eaten straight from the plant or dried and added to granola and other cereals. The dried seeds can also be boiled, roasted to improve flavor or ground into flour. The young leaves have sometimes been eaten raw in salads or boiled and served with butter. Flower spikes droop after bloom, releasing the distinctive seeds into the water.

Raw seeds of pickerel weed can cause swelling, blistering, and numbness in the mouth (for some people) - extremely uncomfortable lasting for about a day.
 

fishin4cars

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Most people divide the roots though to transplant and get new starts. I would think dividing would be easier than raising from seed IMO.
Interesting that they can be edible.
 

FountainMan

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I agree. My Pickerels been flowering all year. I place spent flowers in the bog expecting the seeds to germinate but nothing. As addy stated they're good eaten so I'm assuming the seeds are ment to be eaten and distributed by birds where digestion helps activate the seed. When it's excreted it then germinates. Alot of plants use this as a method of distibution. Few years ago I learned that stuff in biology. I think this is used in Pickerels. Maybe by waterfowl or other birds.
 
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Wow thanks for the replies. I think I will try and check out the roots today and tomorrow and see if I can divide it up and hopefully it will take off again. I will keep the seeds just in case. I had no idea they were edible and I know i did a search for pickerel weed seeds on the net.
 

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