Impatiens biflora Walter
Impatiens fulva Nutt.
Impatiens nortonii Rydb.
Impatiens noli-tangere L. ssp. biflora (Walter) Hultén
Impatiens capensis Meerb. Spotted jewelweed, jewelweed
Spotted jewelweed is a North American native plant. Impatiens means “impatient,” a reference to the fact that dried seed capsules burst open when touched. Capensis means "of the cape," because the botanist who named it, Nicolaas Meerburgh, believed incorrectly that the species was native to the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. The plants are common and, in some areas, invasives. They prefer regions that are at least seasonally wet and partially shaded, such as creek beds or damp soils. Spotted and yellow jewelweed prefer similar habitats and are often found close to each other. Plants: 3-5′ (1-1.5 m) high, with translucent and rather fragile stems. Leaves: Bluish-green, oval-shaped, with shallow teeth, about 4″ (10 cm) × 1¾″ (5 cm). Flowers: Flowers occur in clusters of one to three. Viewed from the side, flowers are shaped a bit like a horn of plenty, yellow, with two large lower petals and one upper petal, with spots or patches of red-orange. Each flower is about ¾″ (1.9 cm) in size. They may appear orange rather than yellow from the front. Fruits: The seed pods, about ¾-1¼″ (1.9-3.2 cm) long, spread their seeds by drying into a spring-loaded form that pops upon contact, delighting children. Medical: Spotted jewelweed has long been used as a preventative for poison ivy rash. Juice from the crushed plant is applied to the site that has been exposed. We examined many articles to learn a bit more about its efficacy:
What do we believe? It certainly won't do any harm: there aren't any reports of allergic reactions to jewelweed. So, given that spotted jewelweed is fairly often found near poison ivy, and that it is easy to prepare by rubbing between the hands, it is worth a try. These are closely similar: |
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You are here Impatiens capensis |
Impatiens pallida |
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Common Name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Plant | 3-5′ (1-1.5 m) high, with translucent and rather fragile stems. | 3-5′ (1-1.5 m) high, with translucent and rather fragile stems. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Flowers | Flowers occur in clusters of one to three. Viewed from the side, flowers are shaped a bit like a horn of plenty, yellow, with two large lower petals and one upper petal, with spots or patches of red-orange. Each flower is about ¾″ (1.9 cm) in size. They may appear orange rather than yellow from the front. | Flowers occur in clusters of one to three, appearing from July to September. Viewed from the side, flowers are shaped a bit like a horn of plenty, yellow or pale yellow, with two large lower petals and one upper petal. There are usually a few red-brown spots within the throat of the flower, but none elsewhere. Each flower is about ¾″ (1.9 cm) in size. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Leaves | Bluish-green, oval-shaped, with shallow teeth, about 4″ (10 cm) × 1¾″ (5 cm). | Bluish-green, oval-shaped, with shallow teeth, about 1½-3″ (3.8-7.6 cm) × ½-1¼″ (1.3-3.2 cm). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fruit | The seed pods, about ¾-1¼″ (1.9-3.2 cm) long, spread their seeds by drying into a spring-loaded form that pops upon contact, delighting children. | The seed pods, about ¾-1¼″ (1.9-3.2 cm) long, spread their seeds by drying into a spring-loaded form that pops upon contact. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Range/ Zones | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Habitats | Moist ground, low woods, slopes, stream banks, ravines. Spotted and yellow jewelweed prefer similar habitats and are often found close to each other. | Regions that are at least seasonally wet and partially shaded, such as creek beds or damp soils. Spotted and yellow jewelweed prefer similar habitats and are often found close to each other. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Type | Wild | Wild | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occurrence | Common; invasive in some areas |
Online References:
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses
The Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide
The Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site
Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants
References:
Impatiens biflora Walter
Impatiens fulva Nutt.
Impatiens nortonii Rydb.
Impatiens noli-tangere L. ssp. biflora (Walter) Hultén
Impatiens capensis description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 10 Sep 2023.
Range: