Impatiens capensis

Common Names

Jewelweed, Jewel Weed, Orange Jewelweed, Spotted Jewelweed, Touch-Me-Not, Spotted Touch-Me-Not, Orange Balsam, Orange Touch-Me-Not, Speckled Jewels

Summary

Orange jewelweed is a North American native annual herb in the Balsaminaceae. It grows 2–5 ft tall with translucent, succulent stems and bluish-green, oval leaves with shallow teeth. Showy orange to orange-yellow flowers with red spotting hang from slender stalks, and seed capsules explode on contact (touch-me-not). It self-seeds prolifically to form dense colonies and attracts pollinators including hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. It blooms in moist, humus-rich soils from June to September in partial to full shade along streams, wetlands, and damp woodlands.

In cultivation, it prefers moist to wet soils with partial to full shade; spacing 18–24 inches is recommended, and propagation occurs by seed with self-seeding common. It can spread aggressively under favorable conditions and is best suited for rain gardens, native plant landscapes, and wildlife habitat restoration; it is an annual with frost kills and hardiness zones 3–10. Maintenance is minimal.

Lifecycle

Annual

Height

2-5 feet

Spread

1.5-2.5 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 2-11

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally partial shade, also possible in partial sun and full shade

Soil Type

Moist, humus-rich, loamy soil

Soil Drainage

Consistently moist soil (damp to wet)

Soil pH

6.0-8.0

Bloom Color

Orange

Bloom Time

Late spring to early fall

Foliage Color

Bluish-green

Fall Foliage Color

Orange or yellow/green

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Fast

Seasons of Interest

Summer and Fall

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Cuttings, Seedlings

Attracts Wildlife

Bees, Hummingbirds, Butterflies, Other pollinators, Birds