Jewelweed, Impatients capensis
Weed Control Options
Life Cycle
Annual.Propagation
Reproduces by seed. Mature seeds are flattened-ovate, blackish to green, with a ridge running along the length of both sides.Stems
Jewelweed has a succulent, translucent and hollow stem.Leaves
Leaves are long-oval, long-stalked with a few rounded teeth. Upper leaves are alternate, while the lower leaves are opposite. They are water-repellent, so after it rains, they are covered with raindrops or tiny "jewels".Flowers and Fruit
Flowers are trumpet-shaped, blooming from early summer to fall. Flowers have three petals, one curving to form a long slipper-shaped spur. Spotted jewelweed plants have yellow-orange petals with red, yellow or white spots.Habitat
Jewelweed grows in wet, sunny areas, such as fens, roadsides, ditches and along creek beds. It is difficult to transplant and seeds do not store well.Distinguishing Features
Jewelweed is noted for having seed pods that burst when touched, which can spread seeds over a distance of several square meters. Jewelweed can grow up to 1.5 metres tall.Medicinal uses
Jewelweed has been used as an "anti-itch" remedy in the treatment of dermatitis resulting from poison-ivy.However, several studies have found that jewelweed extract is not effective in the treatment of dermatitis resulting from poison ivy or poison oak.
Guin, JD., Reynolds, R. (1980) Jewelweed treatment of poison ivy dermatitis. Contact Dermatitis 6(4):287-8.
Long, D., Ballentine, N.H., Marks, J.G. (1997) Treatment of poison ivy/oak allergic contact dermatitis with an extract of jewelweed. Am. J. Contact. Dermat. 8(3):150-3.
Media Items
Figure 1: Jewelweed plant. Top
Figure 2: Jewelweed growing in Southern Ontario, late July. Top
Figure 3: Yellow-orange flower of jewelweed plant. Top
Figure 4: Side-view of jewelweed flower. Top
Figure 5: Seedpod of jewelweed. Top
Figure 6: Leaf of jewelweed. Top
Figure 7: Smooth stem of jewelweed. Top
Figure 8: Base of jewelweed plant. Top