the orange jewelweed, common jewelweed,
spotted jewelweed, jewelweed,
spotted touch-me-not, or orange balsam
Impatiens capensis, also known as, Jewelweed has a long history of use in Native American medicine. When applied topically, sap from the stem and leaves is said to relieve itching and pain from a variety of ailments, including hives, poison ivy, stinging nettle, and other skin sores and irritations.
Jewelweeds are found in locations all over the Piedmont region and other areas of the Carolinas. As you can see from the top picture the flowers are rather small. They feature 1″ long, rear-spurred, cornucopia-shaped, orange to orange-yellow flowers with reddish-brown spotting.
The flowers bloom from June to frost. Each flower dangles from a leaf axil on its own slender stalk. It is a herbaceous annual that may grow 3 to 5 feet tall. It can be naturally found in areas of moist soil including forests, streambanks, and bogs.
These particular Spotted touch-me-nots are located along a dense moist trail behind an unused soccer field. The dirt trail winds around and contains many elevated manholes which are accessible to city or county utility officials.
We have seen Jewelweeds in other areas we have hiked but until searching for more information I had not known the many medicinal applications it contains. They are attractive to hummingbirds for their nectar from June until early frost.
Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge
Photo Credit: ©️2023 Deb L. Waters…All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
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Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography 