How to grow Orange Jewelweed

Impatiens capensis

Growing Orange Jewelweed from seed

This is a weed, just toss down the seeds and water. Will form patches in the right conditions.

Transplanting Orange Jewelweed

Throw seeds in a shady moist spot such as near a stream, pond, ditch, or ethereal pool. No further care should be warranted.

Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Orange Jewelweed is a tender plant.

Harvesting Orange Jewelweed

To harvest leaves or stems gather in summer and roll leaves between fingers for immediate use. Or dab juice squeezed from stems on insect bites or other itchy skin spots.

Seed Saving Orange Jewelweed

To collect seeds wait until seed pods have formed, then quickly and tightly grab the whole pod in your hand. The pod will ‘spring’ open and you can then separate the seeds from the springs and pod in your hand. The seeds are edible.2

How long does Orange Jewelweed take to grow?

These estimates for how long Orange Jewelweed takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.

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Orange Jewelweed Etymology

Touch-Me-Not comes from the spring loaded ripe seed pods. As you get near they will explode launching seeds everywhere. This trait and folk name applies to many in the Impatiens genus.

Jewelweed comes from the flowers and their many jewel colors, but also the look of the leaf when held under water, especially moving water such as a stream or brook.2

The spotted part of the name comes from the flowers and their spotted throats.

The botanical epithet is from the Latin biflora meaning “two flowers”.4 The alternative species name, capensis means “of or from the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa)”5.

Orange Jewelweed Folklore & Trivia

Fresh juice or a water based extract can be used to treat mosquito bites or poison ivy.12
An extract can also be made by soaking stems and leaves in commercial witch hazel.2
A salve can be made using vegetable oil, beeswax, jewel weed stems, and a vitamin E capsule.2
Apply the juice to a new mosquito bite or to an area just touched by poison ivy to avoid a skin reaction.2
Jewelweed contains two methoxy-1, four napthoquinine, which is an anti-inflammatory and fungicide sometimes found in commercial ointments.2

Other names for Orange Jewelweed

Touch-me-not, Pale jewelweed, Spotted jewelweed, Spotted touch-me-not, Wild balsam, Balsam-weed, Impatiens pallida, Pale-touch-me-not, Slipperweed, Silverweed, Wild lady's slipper, Speckled jewels, Wild celandine, Quick-in-the-hand

Impatiens aurea, Impatiens biflora

Misspellings: jewlewee,

Footnotes

1 JEWELWEED-Herb Companion

2 Wild Man Steve Brill

3 Missouri Botanical Garden

4 Latin Dictionary

5 capensis on California Plant Names: Latin and Greek Meanings and Derivations


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