Jewelweed
Impatiens capensis
Jewelweed is a self-seeding annual plant with bright orange, spotted flower petals, known to be a natural remedy for poison ivy.
This section shows one large critter image at a time. Use the thumbnails that follow to select a specific image to display here.
This gallery contains a grid of small thumbnails. Selecting a thumbnail will change the main image in the preceding section.
Appearance
Jewelweed typically grows two to five feet in height and has weak, watery stems that range in color from pale green to reddish green. The 2 to 3 inch leaves are greenish-blue, alternately-arranged, and oval-shaped with toothed margins. When in bloom, jewelweed displays five orange-yellow flower petals with red-orange spots. Jewelweed has three sepals with one modified into a cornucopia-shaped pouch.
Reproduction and life cycle
This flower is a self-pollinator—releasing seeds from its little green pods. Seedlings sprout in early spring and reach maximum size by August. Flowering begins in mid-summer and continues until the plant is killed by winter frost.
Did you know?
The name jewelweed is sourced from sparkling droplets of rain or dew that bead on the smooth leaves like “jewels.”
This plant has a long history of use in Native American medicine. When applied topically, jewelweed sap is said to relieve itching and pain from a variety of ailments.
This plant is one of the few native North American plants that has been shown to compete successfully against garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)—a non-native invasive weed that threatens many eastern North American forests.
Jewelweed flowers fertilize themselves and produce seeds without ever exchanging pollen with another flower.