Plant
Jewelweed
Impatiens capensis
Also known as: spotted touch-me-not, orange jewelweed
A native annual wildflower of moist forest understory and stream edges — distinctive orange-and-spotted tubular flowers, succulent translucent stems, and seed pods that explode at the lightest touch (the 'touch-me-not' name). Common across Staten Island's wet forest patches and Greenbelt streamsides. Long-standing folk-medicinal use as topical treatment for poison ivy and stinging nettle exposure (the plants frequently grow in the same habitat).
Scientific
Impatiens capensis is a 2–5 ft annual wildflower of moist forest understory. Translucent succulent stems, alternate oval leaves, distinctive orange tubular flowers with red speckling and a curved spur. Seed pods are explosively dehiscent — the lightest touch makes them coil rapidly and fling seeds 4–8 feet (“touch-me-not”).
Folk-medicinal use as topical treatment for [[poison-ivy|poison ivy]], [[stinging-nettle|stinging nettle]], and other contact-irritant plants is widespread across the Eastern U.S. The plants frequently grow in the same habitats as poison ivy (moist semi-shaded edges), and jewelweed sap is widely reputed to neutralize urushiol if applied immediately. Clinical evidence is mixed but the tradition is durable.
Hummingbirds are major pollinators of jewelweed — the flower’s tubular shape and orange color are classic hummingbird-pollination signals.
On Staten Island
Common in the borough’s wet forest patches, Greenbelt streamsides, shaded moist edges. Mid-to-late summer flowering. The species’ explosive seed-dispersal means it can colonize new patches rapidly when conditions are right.
See also
Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.
- Counterpart to: [[poison-ivy]]
- Member of: [[plants]]
- Contained by: [[staten-island]]
Sources
- USDA NRCS Plants Database: jewelweed
- Northeastern folk-medicinal documentation
- USDA poison-ivy treatment references
Rooted in life.
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Medicinal
counterpart to
- Poison ivy jewelweed sap is the traditional folk topical for poison ivy exposure; the two plants commonly grow in the same habitat
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