Kendall County (IL) Forest Preserve District
Orange
Jewelweed
(Spotted Touch-Me-Not)
Impatiens capensis [C-value 3]
Touch-Me-Not family (Balsaminaceae)
Blooms July - September
The native Orange Jewelweed is common in our area. It prefers light shade to partial sun and wet to moist fertile soil. Habitats include openings in moist woodlands, lightly shaded floodplains, swamps, seeps and fens. This annual is a charming plant with smooth, almost translucent stems, 2-4' tall, with alternate oval leaves 3-5" long and 1-2˝" across, coarsely toothed on slender petioles up to 2" long. From the axils of the upper leaves, there are small clusters of 1-3 orange flowers, each flower about 1" long with a conical shape, with upper and lower lip petals that are usually dark orange with reddish streaks or brown dots. The upper lip petal curves upward. The 2 lower lip petals provide landing pads for visiting insects.
Orange Jewelweed in the lower fen at Lyon Forest Preserve August 28, 2012
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Orange Jewelweed in the lower fen at Lyon Forest Preserve August 3, 2012
It is very intriguing how the flowers are suspended horizontally on arching, slender stalks. The conical flower's posterior tapers to a skinny nectar spur that hooks around forward to a position underneath the rest of the flower. Jewelweed is a favorite of the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird as its long tongue is uniquely able to get back into that nectar spur.
Orange Jewelweed in the lower fen at Lyon Forest Preserve August 31, 2015
Orange Jewelweed in the lower fen at Lyon Forest Preserve September 4, 2013
A large colony of Orange Jewelweed in the lower fen at Lyon Forest Preserve August 28, 2012
The common name "Jewelweed" comes from the way the oil on its leaves cause drops of rain or dew to bead and reflect light like jewels. The Jewelweed oil was collected and used by Native Americans for its skin-healing properties including treatment of Poison Ivy rashes. Reminder: see our Do Not Disturb Notice.
The other common name “Touch-Me-Not” comes from the seed pods that are like coiled springs ready to pop when touched to fling their seeds five feet way. The scientific name “Impatiens” was given to denote this unique property - impatient to scatter the seeds.
Yellow Jewelweed (Impatiens pallida) has similar foliage, but its flowers are pale yellow.
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