Photos, Jane Morton Galetto |
Britton & Brown |
Botanical name: | Impatiens capensis |
Common name: | jewelweed or spotted touch-me-knot |
Group: | dicot |
Family: | Balsaminaceae |
Growth type: | forb/herb |
Duration: | perennial |
Origin: | native |
Plant height: | to 4 -1/2' |
Foliage: | alternate, petiolate, glabrous; shallowly toothed |
Flower: | 5 petals, but fusion makes it appear to have 3; orange-yellow. Occasionally more yellow or more red. The capsules explode when touched (dehiscent), hence the name "touch-me-not" |
Flowering time: | May to October |
Habitat: | moist ground, low woods, stream banks |
Range in New Jersey: | statewide |
Heritage ranking, if any: | n/a |
Distribution: | |
Misc. | Jewelweed is often touted as a folk medicinal treatment for poison ivy rash and other skin irritations. |