Jewelweed

I drew the jewelweed at the moment of greatest tension. The orange flowers hang from the stem, and beside them are seed pods at different stages of ripeness, some closed and green, some swelling, and one close to bursting. That is what this plant does when a ripe pod is touched. It explodes. In this jewelweed print I wanted both the delicate blossom and the loaded pod on the same sheet, since the plant is never only one or the other.

In shortImpatiens capensis, orange jewelweed, is a North American annual of damp, shaded ground. Its ripe seed pods burst when touched, which gives it the name touch-me-not. The plate shows the hanging flowers with pods in several stages.

Key Facts

Why is jewelweed called touch-me-not?

Jewelweed is called touch-me-not because its ripe seed capsules burst open at the slightest touch. The capsule splits along its seams and the walls curl inward, flinging the seeds outward, sometimes as far as about 1.8 m (6 feet).

The pod is under tension as it ripens, which is why the release is so sudden. The genus name Impatiens is Latin for impatient and refers to exactly this. Many people first meet the plant by accident, setting off a pod with a passing hand. Once scattered, the seeds can float, so streams and floodwater carry them farther along the bank. The result is a plant that colonises damp ground quickly. Dense stands are common along floodplains and marsh edges. Each seed is small, with a green coat that hides a pale blue seed inside, and a single plant can scatter many of them.

What do jewelweed flowers look like up close?

Jewelweed flowers are orange, flecked with red-orange spots, and they hang from the stem like small lanterns. One sepal forms a pouch ending in a curved spur, and the remaining petals form a spotted throat and a small hood. Nectar is held deep inside, so a visitor has to reach in to find it.

Hummingbirds and bees visit the flowers, and the shape suits both. Tiny closed flowers near the base of the leaves can also pollinate themselves without opening, which keeps seed coming even when visitors are scarce. Several explanations are given for the common name. The spotted flowers can look like earrings, drops of water sparkle on the leaves, and a submerged leaf takes on a silvery sheen. Each explanation matches something you can see.

Where does jewelweed grow?

Jewelweed grows in moist, partly shaded ground across northern and eastern North America. It likes stream banks, floodplain woods, wet ditches and the edges of marshes. It also settles on disturbed ground, such as road cuts, where water collects. In a shaded floodplain it can form a dense, knee-high to shoulder-high stand.

It is an annual, so each plant completes its whole life in one season. Seedlings sprout in early spring, reach full height by August and flower from mid-summer until the first frost. The stems are watery and weak, the leaves are oval and toothed, and the plant can reach 60 to 150 cm. It reseeds itself, so patches return year after year. Seed from the showy flowers gives larger, hardier plants, and the plant competes well against garlic mustard, a non-native invasive weed. The species name capensis suggests the Cape of South Africa, but this is an old mistake in the naming. The studio’s article on jewelweed as a botanical subject looks at the plant as an illustration subject.

Is jewelweed really a cure for poison ivy?

Jewelweed has a folk reputation as a remedy for the itch of poison ivy and stinging nettle. People have crushed the stems and rubbed the sap on the skin for generations. That is a tradition, not medical advice.

The belief persists partly because the two plants often share damp, shaded ground, so the one is easy to find after meeting the other. The botanical fact is simpler and better established: the stems are watery and translucent, and the juice is clear. Anyone with a serious skin reaction should see a doctor rather than rely on a plant.

Drawing the jewelweed

The plate shows the plant in flower and in seed at once. The blossoms hang from the stem, trumpet-shaped with a curved spur at the back. The pods sit alongside them in a row of stages: tight and green, then swollen, then ready to go off. I drew the pods with the same care as the flowers, because they are what the plant is known for. The hanging flowers and the loaded pods together give the sheet its tension.

The leaves are green and oval, with a toothed edge, set against a light ground that leaves the orange clear. A photograph catches one moment and usually only the blossom. The hand-drawn digital illustration holds the whole sequence on a single sheet, from the closed pod to the one on the point of opening.

Where does a jewelweed print work on a wall?

The plate suits a kitchen, a study, a hallway or a child’s room, anywhere that welcomes a plant with a mechanical surprise in it. In the photograph below, a framed print with orange blossoms and green leaves stands on a wooden shelf. A dark wood or black frame emphasises the botanical character, and a natural wood frame is warmer. The orange of the flowers is a warm, late-summer note that sits well against white or pale neutral walls. The plate belongs to The Garden collection, and more flowers of the same kind are in the full range of botanical art prints.

Fine-art print →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is jewelweed related to garden impatiens?

Yes. Both belong to the genus Impatiens in the family Balsaminaceae. The bedding plant Impatiens walleriana is a tamer cousin, bred for continuous flowers. Wild jewelweed is the explosive relative of damp woodland edges, and it behaves very differently.

What is the difference between orange and yellow jewelweed?

Orange jewelweed, Impatiens capensis, has bright orange flowers with red-orange flecks. Pale touch-me-not, Impatiens pallida, looks similar but has yellow flowers. The two often grow in the same regions and can share damp ground.

Does jewelweed come back every year?

Yes, though not as the same plant. Jewelweed is an annual that dies with the first frost, but its seeds survive the winter. They germinate in early spring, so a patch often returns reliably from the previous year’s seed. If a stand is cut down before the pods ripen, it may not come back, because an annual has no other way to survive the winter.

Do hummingbirds visit jewelweed?

Yes. The orange, hanging flowers suit hummingbirds, and bees feed at them as well. A healthy patch can draw hummingbirds in late summer, when the flowers are at their peak. Large bees reach into the pouch for nectar as well. For this reason jewelweed is often left standing, or planted on purpose, in native gardens with damp, partly shaded corners.

How is this print made, and how does it reach me?

There are two formats. The digital download is a high-resolution file that you print yourself, at home or at a print shop; no physical item is shipped. The fine-art print is printed to order on archival paper or canvas, framed or unframed, in sizes from small prints to over 150 cm (60 inches), and delivered to your door.