# common jewelweed

*Impatiens capensis*

It is called 'touch-me-not' because its ripe seed pods exhibit ballistic propagation, exploding open at the slightest touch to fling seeds up to four feet away.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Ericales › Balsaminaceae › Impatiens
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** wetland
- **Habitat:** Moist woodlands, stream banks, floodplains, ditches, and freshwater marshes.
- **Diet:** Photosynthetic (requires sunlight, water, and soil nutrients)
- **Range:** North America, United States, Canada
- **Size:** 0.6 to 1.5 meters (2 to 5 feet) tall
- **Lifespan:** 1 year (annual)
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat destruction, displacement by invasive species like garlic mustard, and overgrazing by white-tailed deer.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and highly beneficial. You can safely touch this plant. The clear sap from its crushed succulent stems is a traditional natural remedy to soothe poison ivy rashes and stinging nettle burns. Do not ingest the plant, as it contains calcium oxalate crystals which can cause mild stomach upset.

## About

Impatiens capensis , the orange jewelweed , common jewelweed , spotted jewelweed , spotted touch-me-not , or orange balsam , is an annual plant native to North America. It is common in bottomland soils, ditches, and along creeks, often growing side-by-side with its less common relative, Yellow Jewelweed ( I. pallida ).

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/eaaaa91c-feb6-49ca-b3d8-9e4faf5d3260
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/47888
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impatiens capensis
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/319119879/medium.jpeg (Michael J. Papay, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.