VOA慢速英语2021--花园里的宝石草：漂亮，可能有用

Jewelweed in the Garden: Pretty, Possibly Useful

Lee Reich is an expert on gardening who writes about the subject for the Associated Press. Recently, he wrote a story about a plant that a gardening friend could not identify -- even though the plant is common.

The plant has green leaves and large, yellow flowers. It appeared in Reich's friend's garden although he had not planted it. The area did not get a lot of sunlight.

Reich identified the growth as soon as he saw it --- jewelweed.

His friend was surprised. He thought he knew what jewelweed looked like. In fact, he had an area in his garden filled with the plants. But those were bright orange.

It turns out that jewelweed comes in a lot of colors. Orange is most common in the United States. But jewelweed flowers can be yellow, pink and even brown.

The fruit of the jewelweed explodes at the lightest touch. Seeds fly out in all directions. That quality is why "touch-me-not" became the common name for jewelweed.

Scientifically, the plants are known as impatiens. Impatiens capensis is the name of the orange touch-me-not. The jewelweed with the yellow flowers is Impatiens pallida. And there are a thousand other kinds of jewelweed. All are famous for their ability to produce bright, colorful flowers even when growing in shade. The flowers appeal to bees, hummingbirds¹ and other pollinators.

Reich says jewelweed's "impatient" method of seed spread might be a good quality if you want a plant that spreads and returns every year. Of course, a plant that is too good at that could take over more space than you expect or want it to.

Anything with ‘weed' in its name might seem like a bad addition to your garden, Reich notes. But he says some jewelweed versions are pretty enough to have been offered by dealers² in native plants.

Jewelweed is not just another pretty flower, however. The U.S. Forest Service website notes that the plant has a long history in Native American medicine. Jewelweed sap, or fluid, can be used directly on the body to ease pain and itching³ from many conditions, including poison ivy⁴ rash⁵. The sap has also been shown to have antifungal properties and can be used to treat athlete's foot.

Words in This Story

gardening - n. to use an area of ground to grow plants, such as flowers or vegetables

shade - n. an area darkened when something blocks the light of the sun

pollinator - n. anything that helps carry pollen⁶ from one plant to another of the same kind so that it will produce seeds

impatient - adj. not willing to wait for something or someone: not patient

poison ivy rash - n. a condition in which the skin becomes itchy, red and uneven⁷ after contact with oils produced by a poison ivy plant

athlete's foot - n. a condition in which the skin between and around the toes cracks and peels

1 hummingbirds   

n.蜂鸟( hummingbird的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious. 蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• Why do hummingbirds and gorillas both have backbones? 为什么蜂鸟和大猩猩都有脊骨？

2 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

3 itching   

adj.贪得的，痒的，渴望的v.发痒( itch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The itching was almost more than he could stand. 他痒得几乎忍不住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My nose is itching. 我的鼻子发痒。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 ivy   

n.常青藤，常春藤

参考例句：

• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。
• The wall is covered all over with ivy.墙上爬满了常春藤。

5 rash   

adj.轻率的；n.（皮）疹，爆发的一连串

参考例句：

• My skin has broken out in an itchy rash.我的皮肤上突然长出一片让人发痒的皮疹。
• Don't be rash in making your decision.别轻率做出决定。

6 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

7 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。