This is a picture of three spotted jewelweed leaves and a flower. The largest leaf is about the size of medium or small leaves on a typical plant. The large hole made by insects is very typical too. The flower is shown from the side, with a typically curled-back spur.

Important Wild Plants: Jewelweed or Touch-me-not (A Brief Profile)
(Impatiens varieties in the Balsaminaceae or Touch-me-not family)

For more information and links, go to the main jewelweed page.

Description

• jewelweed, also called touch-me-not, is an annual that looks like a small shrub.
• the plant grows in moist, shady areas, to a height of 3 to 5 feet.
• there are two different kinds of jewelweed
• spotted jewelweed or touch-me-not (Impatiens capensis Meerb.) is fairly widespread and common and blooms from June through September.
• yellow jewelweed or pale touch-me-not (Impatiens pallida Nutt.), which is less common than spotted jewelweed, grows from North Florida to Georgia in the mountains and from Arkansas to Kansas; it blooms from July through October and prefers limey soils
• the stems are very angular or vertically ridged rather than cylindrical, and branch off the main stalk at odd angles
• the joints are considerably swollen, especially towards the base.
• the leaves are oval-shaped, with slight teeth
• the leaves are green on top and very pale underneath
• when held underwater or when covered with raindrops, the leaves look strikingly silvery all over (hence the folk name "silverleaf", and possibly the name "jewelweed")
• the horn-shaped flowers hang like golden gems from their thin, threadlike stems (hence the folk name "lady's eardrops", and possibly the name "jewelweed").
• spotted jewelweed flowers are light orange with reddish dots like freckles in front
• yellow jewelweed flowers are pale yellow, with shorter spurs
• the ripe seedpods explode or spring open when touched lightly, scattering the seeds (hence the name "touch-me-not", and the less common name "snapweed").

Uses

• the young shoots, up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) high, can be gathered in the spring, boiled in two changes of water for 10 to 15 minutes, and eaten; do not drink the cooking water
• the leaves can be picked, crushed between the palms to squeeze out the slightly sticky juice, and rubbed on the skin to prevent rash from poison ivy
• the flowers were used by Indians to make orange dyes

The information in these pages is accurate to the best of my knowledge, but I make no guarantees about its accuracy, nor do I take responsibility for any damage or injury caused by use or misuse of this information.

For more information and links, go to the main jewelweed page.

Much of this information comes from A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America, by Steven Foster and James A. Duke (Peterson Field Guides). Thanks also to Mother Herb and Moonwatcher.