I would like to thank Lynn Brush for the information on
Plantains, Jewel weed and Ninebark.
jmac
Thursday, June 17, 2010
From: Alan W Day <aday@uwo.ca>
Date: Sun, May 2, 2010 at 8:35 PM
Subject: Giant Hogweed
To: aday@uwo.ca
Hi everybody,
Now that it is spring we need to keep a watch out for Giant Hogweed. As there are some similar species with which it can be confused, I have attached a brief key to help you distinguish it.
If you do think you have found some Giant Hogweed on our trails please let me know, being as specific as possible about its location.
Please note that Cow Parsley should can also cause burns and irritation, although as far as I can gather it does not seem to be quite as nasty as Giant Hogweed.
Thanks
Alan Day
Trail Maintenance Director.
Date: Sun, May 2, 2010 at 8:35 PM
Subject: Giant Hogweed
To: aday@uwo.ca
Hi everybody,
Now that it is spring we need to keep a watch out for Giant Hogweed. As there are some similar species with which it can be confused, I have attached a brief key to help you distinguish it.
If you do think you have found some Giant Hogweed on our trails please let me know, being as specific as possible about its location.
Please note that Cow Parsley should can also cause burns and irritation, although as far as I can gather it does not seem to be quite as nasty as Giant Hogweed.
Thanks
Alan Day
Trail Maintenance Director.
JewelWeeds
Impatiens (pronounced /ɪmˈpeɪʃənz/)[1] is a genus of about 850–1,000 species of flowering plants, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and tropics. Together with the puzzling Hydrocera triflora, this genus makes up the family Balsaminaceae. Such a situation is highly unusual, and phylogenetic studies might reveal that Impatiens needs to be split up; some of its species might be closer to Hydrocera than to their presumed congeners.
Common names include impatiens, jewelweeds, and, somewhat ambiguously, "balsams" and "touch-me-nots". As a rule-of-thumb, "jewelweed" is used exclusively for Nearctic species, "balsam" is usually applied to tropical species, and "touch-me-not" is typically used in Europe and North America. Some species commonly planted in horticulture have altogether more fanciful names, such as "Busy Lizzie" (the well-known I. walleriana).
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[edit] Description
Some species are annual plants and produce flowers from early summer until the first frost, while perennial species, found in milder climates, can flower all year. Regardless of their lifespan, the largest impatiens grow up to about 2 meters (c. 7 ft) tall, but most are less than half as tall. The leaves are entire and shiny; their upperside has a thick, water-repellent cuticula that gives them a greasy feel. Particularly on the underside of the leaves, tiny air bubbles are trapped under the leaf surface, giving them a silvery sheen that becomes pronounced when held under water. The name "jewelweed" possibly refers to these shiny leaves, particularly obvious after rains when water drops reflect the sunlight like a prism. However it is more likely that the name is derived from the robin egg blue of the surface of the seed beneath the dark brown aril, or seed coat.
The flowers, up to 2–3 cm, around 1 inch long, in most species are made up by a shoe- or horn-shaped spur for the most part, with at least the upper petals insignificant by comparison; some have a prominent labellum though, allowing pollinators to land. Others, like the Busy Lizzie (I. walleriana), have flattened flowers with large petals and just a tiny spur that appear somewhat similar to violets (Viola), though these are unrelated eudicots. A few Impatiens species have flowers quite intermediate between those two basic types.
These plants derives their scientific name Impatiens (Latin for "impatient") and the common name "touch-me-not" in reference to their seed capsules. When the capsules mature, they "explode" when touched, sending seeds several meters away. This mechanism is also known as "explosive dehiscence"; see also Rapid plant movement.
Ecology and uses
Balsams grow both in and out of direct sunlight; they prefer moist, rich soils, like roadside ditches, reed beds, fens, river banks and forest edges, and many are well able to colonize disturbed ruderal locations.
Impatiens foliage is used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species (e.g. Dot Moth, Melanchra persicariae), as well as other insects, such as the Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica). The leaves are toxic to many other animals, including the Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus), but this popular pet will eat balsam flowers eagerly and as it seems it is not harmed by them. The flowers are visited by bumblebees and certain Lepidoptera, such as the Common Spotted Flat (Celaenorrhinus leucocera)
A parasitic plant using balsams as host is the European Dodder (Cuscuta europea). For plant diseases affecting this genus, see List of impatiens diseases.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, humans transported the Orange Jewelweed (I. capensis) to England, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Finland, and potentially other areas of Northern and Central Europe. For example, it was not recorded from Germany as recently as 1996[2], but since then a population seems to have established itself in Hagen at the Ennepe river. These naturalized populations persist despite the plant not being grown in gardens on a regular basis. The Orange Jewelweed is quite similar to the Touch-me-not Balsam (I. noli-tangere) – the only Impatiens species native to Central and Northern Europe – and utilizes similar habitats, but no evidence exists of natural hybrids. Small Balsam (I. parviflora), originally native to southern Central Asia, is even more extensively naturalized in Europe. More problematic is the Himalayan Balsam (I. glandulifera), a high-growing species which displaces smaller plants by denying them sunlight. It is an invasive weed in many places, and tends to dominate riparian vegetation along polluted rivers and nitrogen-rich spots. Thus, it exacerbates ecosystem degradation by forming stands where few other plants can grow, and by rendering riverbanks more prone to erosion as it has only a shallow root system.
Hybrids, typically derived from Busy Lizzie (I. walleriana) and New Guinea Impatiens (I. hawkeri), have commercial importance as garden plants with a yearly business volume[where?] of about US $230 million. I. walleriana was originally collected from Costa Rica (where it grows as a weed), and bred through selection by Claude Hope. The original series of impatiens bred by Hope was the 'Elfin' series of cultivars, which was subsequently improved as the 'Super Elfin' series. Double-flowered cultivars also exist. But in tropical islands, such as Hawaiʻi, Busy Lizzie can also become a noxious weed.
Other Impatiens species, such as I. auricoma, Garden Balsam (I. balsamina), Blue Diamond Impatiens (I. namchabarwensis), Parrot Flower (I. psittacina), Congo Cockatoo (I. niamniamensis), Ceylon Balsam (I. repens) or Poor Man's Rhododendron (I. sodenii) are also often seen as ornamental plants. Note that insecticidal soap, commonly used against insect pests as it is less harmful to the environment and to most beneficial insects than halocarbon insecticides, is very toxic to some balsams. When controlling insect pests on Impatiens, insecticidal soap should be avoided.
The starkly differing flower shapes found in this genus, combined with the easy cultivation of many species, have served to make some balsam species model organisms in plant evolutionary developmental biology. Also, Impatiens is rather closely related to the carnivorous plant families Roridulaceae and Sarraceniaceae. Peculiar stalked glands found on balsam sepals secrete mucus and might be related to the structures from which the prey-catching and -digesting glands of these carnivorous plants evolved. Balsams are not known to be protocarnivorous plants however.
Medical significance and phytochemistry
The North American jewelweeds are often used as a home remedy to treat bee stings, insect bites, and particularly Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) and Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) rashes, but there has not been controlled research to support this application.
An oft-repeated folk saying, "Wherever poison ivy is found, jewelweed grows close by", is not true. Poison ivy grows in a wide variety of habitats, while jewelweeds are restricted to moist bottomlands and valleys with rich soil. The reverse is often true on the other hand: wherever jewelweed is found, poison ivy is usually close by[citation needed].
The Orange and the Yellow Jewelweed (I. pallida) have been subject to various scientific studies as regards their alleged effect against Poison Ivy contact dermatitis. Save for one study conducted in the 1950s[3], no significant and lasting antipruritic effect was found compared to other commonly used treatments[4].
Jewelweed contains 2-methoxy-1-(4-naphtho)quinine, an anti-inflammatory and fungicide that is the active ingredient of Preparation H [5].
Unspecified Impatiens is one of the traditional 83 Bach flower remedies, supposedly alleviating impatience, and is contained in the "Rescue Remedy" or "Five Flower Remedy" touted as an anxiolytic. There is no indication that Bach flower remedies are more effective than a placebo[citation needed].
All Impatiens taste bitter and seem to be slightly toxic upon ingestion, causing intestinal ailments like vomiting and diarrhea. The toxic compounds have not been identified but are probably the same as those responsible for the bitter taste; they might be glycosides or alkaloids.
α-Parinaric acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid discovered in the seeds of the Makita Tree (Atuna racemosa), is together with linolenic acid the predominant component of the seed fat of Garden Balsam (I. balsamina), and perhaps other species of Impatiens[6]. This is quite intriguing from a phylogenetic perspective, since the Makita Tree is a member of the Chrysobalanaceae and belongs to a lineage of eudicots entirely distinct from the balsams.
At least certain jewelweeds and the Garden Balsam contain the naphthoquinone lawsone, a dye that is also found in Henna (Lawsonia inermis) and responsible for the hair coloring and skin coloring in mehndi. In ancient China, Impatiens petals mashed with rose and orchid petals and alum were used as nail polish: after leaving the mixture on the nails for some hours, it will color them a pink to reddish hue. Similar to the case of α-Parinaric acid, the henna plant is a Lythraceae and as such also not closely related to the balsams.
Note that the "balsams" used in shampoos (Peru balsam and Tolu balsam) are derived from the unrelated genus Myroxylon, as are Canada balsam (from the Balsam Fir, Abies balsamea) and Balsam of Mecca (from Commiphora gileadensis).
Selected species
This website considers any truss bridge older than 1970 to be historic because they utilize methods of construction no longer in use in modern construction. It is important to represent not only the rarest designs of old bridges, but also the more common ones. For in many senses, the more common bridges perhaps create a clearer picture of the period to which they date than the unusual bridges. This website views any old bridge that retains decent historic integrity to be historic at some level, even if a small one. For this reason, a wide variety of old bridges appear on the website, with a description of the bridge discussing the level of historic value each structure has. Under these statements, clearly the Meadowlily Road Bridge deserves a place on HistoricBridges.org. But is it possible to clearly describe the level of historic value that the bridge has... in other words, we can certainly say it "is" historic, but can we say "how" historic it is? A short discussion of this follows, along with a call to Canadians to ask their government to review their rich collection of historic bridges through a historic bridge inventory.
Consider the question: Is the Meadowlily Road Bridge historic? It does not appear in the Ontario Heritage Bridge List, and so one would assume that it is not, and indeed this bridge has been considered non-historic by its owner, the City of London. This website covers historic bridges in both the United States and Canada. In the United States, federal law mandates that all states conduct historic bridge inventories to review all bridges within the state and create a list of all bridges determined to be historic. In Canada, there does not appear to be such a requirement in place that mandates the evaluation of all bridges in the country. What is the result? In the United States, their may be an awareness of where all the old bridges in the country are located, but often the consulting engineers who perform these inventories only list a select few bridges as being historic, leaving others listed non-historic and unprotected from demolition. In Canada, it seems that agencies like the Ministry of Culture do not even know about the bridges in the first place. If the local counties, townships, or municipalities want to consider their bridges historic and preserve them, or consider them non-historic and demolish them, that is their own decision. Neither of these plans seems to work well. For one thing, how does one define "historic" as a descriptive value? In the United States, where government agencies and consulting engineers with no genuine interest in preservation are making the decisions, it would seem appropriate to suggest that their historic bridge lists are too conservative. In Canada, where it is unclear what the complete national, or even provincial inventory of old bridges looks like, it is actually impossible to determine the level of historic value that a bridge like the Meadowlily Bridge is. Without a complete list of bridges in Ontario, how can one determine whether the Meadowlily bridge is a rare multi-span truss bridge in Ontario. How many other multi-span truss bridges remain in Ontario? Although I have found two other truss bridges with a similar design to this one, is this trio of bridges the last of its kind or are there 20 more like it out there waiting to be found?
The answer to these questions could be found, if either at the national or provincial level, a historic bridge inventory were conducted. A historic bridge inventory consists of first making a list of all bridges in the province or country older than 50 years. Then, the bridges in the list are reviewed and researched and and evaluation of each bridge's significance is made. As a result, it would then be possible to see how rare a particular structure is, and thus make a decision on how much effort should be placed on preservation. In addition, the inventories can be used by people to aid in finding bridges to photograph. Currently the only way to get a complete list of old bridges for even a single county involves contacting a ton of people from counties, to MTO, to municipalities, down to even townships. A daunting task for an individual, but a task that government could certainly do.
The time has come to ask for a historic bridge inventory in Ontario, and hopefully all of Canada. With an inventory, locating historic bridges would be much easier, and also most likely, it would become much clearer how rare a bridge like the Meadowlily Bridge is, and perhaps its future would be a bit brighter.
About The Meadowlily Road Bridge
This bridge is in a rather unusual location in terms of development. On Meadowlily Road, one would think they were out in the country in an area where no development was occurring. However, where Meadowlily Road ends south of the bridge at Commissioners Road, they are deposited at what appears to be one of the most rapidly developing areas in greater London. Quite a contrast!
This bridge's through truss span utilizes the same truss configuration, as well as the overall design layout of the bridge as some other bridges in southwestern Ontario like the Cameron Road Bridge. It should be noted that despite multiple examples of this design in the area, the truss configuration present on these bridges, the double-intersection warren, is actually an unusual truss configuration. In addition, this bridge is noteworthy for having two pony truss approach spans at the southern end. Pony truss approach spans create a visually pleasing compliment to a through truss main span. Also, multi-span pony truss bridges are uncommon, although London has two other multi-span pony truss bridges. The beauty of the structure has been severely crippled by the addition of cyclone fencing that is so high that anyone crossing this bridge might feel like they are inside a high-security prison.
John Lucas, Transportation Planning and Design Manager for London provided the following information on the bridge:
The bridge still stands after almost 100 years of service, but is in poor condition. It is maintained for pedestrian usage only. A high chain link walkway was erected down the middle of the bridge for safety reasons.
It consists of 3 spans over the South Branch of the Thames River. The north span is a simply supported through-truss, with the top chords of the truss braced across the roadway. This span accommodates, though constrains, river flows. The central and south spans are “pony trusses” spanning the floodplain. The top chords of these are situated about 6 feet above the deck level and are supported by knee braces to the bottom chord. All spans use longitudinal steel stringers over transverse floor beams to support an original 18 foot wide deck.
A thorough review of the bridge in 1990 revealed failure of stringers and floor beams. The bridge was closed until it could be improved for pedestrian use only.
Today, many truss components suffer from a significant loss of section. The concrete deck on the through truss is in poor condition, however the timber decking on the two pony truss spans is in good condition. Foundations are partially exposed and abutments have severe spalling in places. Given the condition, it has been on our “replacement list” for many years. The low usage does not make it a high priority.
This bridge is indeed in extremely poor condition, particularly with the floor beams. However, if both citizenry and government really were dedicated to preserving this impressive structure it could be done. Floor beams and bottom chord connections would likely require significant repairs, but as long as the main trusses were retained, the general historic integrity of the bridge could be maintained. London has an amazingly rich assortment of historic truss bridges, and this bridge contributes greatly to this collection of truss bridges. It certainly isn't as important as the Blackfriars Bridge, but it is still important and beautiful as well, and worthy of preservation. Restoration of this bridge would create an attractive park experience and focal point for this developing area in the city of London. Any costs associated with restoration would likely pay off in future years. As a pedestrian-only bridge, their would not be a need to get the bridge to support a high weight limit, so restoration would really only need to be limited to repairing the areas of the bridge with critical section loss.
Picutres of Jewelweed to follow :
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Clinical Study on Jewelweed
"The Results of a Clinical Study, in which a 1:4 jewelweed preparation was compared for its effectiveness with other standard poison ivy dermatitis treatments was published in 1958 (Annals of Allerty 1958;16:526-527). Of 115 patients treated with jewelweed, 108 responded ‘most dramatically to the topical application of this medication and were entirely relieved of their symptoms within 2 or 3 days after the institution of treatment.' It was concluded that jewelweed is an excellent substitute for ACTH and the corticosteroids in the treatment of poison ivy dermatitis. The active principle in the plant responsible for this activity remains unidentified." by Varro Tyler, PhD in his book HERBS OF CHOICE
1. Calms the itch immediately
This soothing soap, spray and salve goes to work instantly to calm itching from poison ivy, oak and many other causes. You will feel better the first time you use it.
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