A myth to debunk
Do you suffer from seasonal allergies, but you also love flowers? This article is for you! We often see on television, on the internet and in magazines, advertisements for allergy medications showing a flower garden, a bouquet of flowers or dandelion seeds with a person visibly suffering from some unpleasant respiratory symptom. Nonsense!
Did you know that pollen from visible and colorful flowers is very rarely associated with allergies? That dandelion seeds, as ticklish to the nose as they look, are hardly responsible for your seasonal sneezing? Instead, know this: in general, only the pollen from certain wind-pollinated plants is responsible for causing respiratory allergy symptoms. In Quebec, the main plants known to cause hay fever are ragweed, goosefoot, nettles, mugwort, amaranth, and certain deciduous trees (elms, birches, poplars, oaks, hickories, maples, willows, ash trees).
Low-allergenic colorful flowers
Showy flowers, such as roses, tulips and daisies, are not known to be significant sources of allergenic pollen, although pollen from some species is occasionally found in small amounts in the atmosphere. The reason is simple: pollen from flowers with developed, colorful petals is normally too heavy to be airborne (transported through the air). These flowers are prettied up to attract pollinating insects. Pollinators, like many species of bees, are attracted to the colors and patterns of flowers and land on them to extract food: nectar and pollen. Nectar is a source of energy and pollen provides protein for young bees. If this pollen were light enough to be dispersed abundantly into the air, bees would have a hard time collecting it!
Flowers falsely accused
You may have heard that if you are allergic to ragweed pollen, you will also be allergic to all plants in the same family, namely the Asteraceae: the sunflower, dandelion, aster and goldenrod family. These plants are also generally pollinated by insects. In fact, it is possible that a person allergic to ragweed pollen could be allergic to plants in the same family. However, the person would have to sniff the pollen directly to experience the effects, as it is normally too heavy to float in the air to their nostrils. For example, goldenrod ( Solidago spp.) is all too often blamed for causing hay fever when the real culprit is ragweed. Both plants flower at the same time of year (early August to mid-October), but goldenrod flowers are much more showy and therefore much easier to blame.
Goldenrod ( Solidago spp.) is all too often blamed for causing hay fever when the real culprit is ragweed.
Bottom line: Generally speaking, you can still grow flowers even if you suffer from seasonal allergies. We suggest choosing species that promote biodiversity, such as native plants. Many native species offer spectacular, long-lasting, and colorful blooms, while attracting a multitude of pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies. Examples include goldenrod, asters, milkweed, rudbeckia, and yoke weed.
Sources:
www.villeenvert.ca
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