“Jewelweed” – Summer 2013 – Frick Park – Pittsburgh, PA
“A Plant a Day till Spring” will highlight one plant a day, starting on the winter solstice (December 21, 2013)… And ending on the vernal equinox (March 20, 2014)… If all goes to plan I will be starting with old Snowdrop photos from 2013… And ending with new photos of Snowdrops in 2014…
Impatiens capensis… But much more commonly called “Orange Jewelweed”… Also less commonly known as “Common Jewelweed”, “Spotted Jewelweed”, “Spotted Touch-me-not”,or “Orange Balsam”… Is an annual native to North America… The common name “Touch-Me-Not” is a result of the seed pods which explode when touched…
Jewelweed was one of the first plants I attempted to use medicinally… I grew up in a small community called South Park, PA… For those wondering… It is directly South of North Park… The community is largely wooded and as a result I spent a large amount of time among the trees… We were a motley crew that lived a high impact lifestyle of building forts and tree-houses… As a result we got hurt a lot… A friend had learned of this plants use as a rash treatment in Boy Scouts… Because of this we applied Jewelweed to every wound and burn we got…
So imagine my disappointment a few years ago when I returned to this plant… As is typical I can spend a large amount of time digging for info… Sadly… One thing is pretty clear to me… The medicinal qualities of this plant can not be confirmed… In fact… Most professionals agree that the effects are most likely placebo… But as far as I am concerned… If a plant works for you… Then who cares what modern medicine says…
Last summer I noticed massive patches of Jewelweed dying in Frick Park… This makes me question whether or not this plant is affected by the “Impatiens Downy Mildew” that is currently ravaging my region… Making growing Impatiens all but impossible the last two years…
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So… I have a huge announcement coming next week… Literally… It is coming in the mail and should be here early next week… Made possible by a donation from a fellow blogger who will be thanked properly in the near future… Either way… I have a game changer on the way… Stay tuned…
plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello
If you want some science – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impatiens_capensis
These “Plant a Day Till Spring” posts are simply intended to kill time until spring when I start writing more… My source (where applicable) is Wikipedia.org… The photography is all my own… And I am adding my own information…
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chriscondello 
One of my favorite plants as a girl, and still one now. Can’t resist “popping” the seed pods in late summer. Managed to save some seed last summer while roaming and have it outside in a two liter soda bottle as part of my wintersowing experimentation. I also was told it was a natural remedy for poison ivy, never heard of using it on wounds. There is also a yellow variety, but I think it is less prolific.
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The yellow variety also blooms a bit later… Here in my local park we have orange, yellow and a very light-yellow almost white variety…
Thanks for the comment…
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Jewelweed IS an antidote for poison ivy oils…rub it on your skin if you have been exposed to poison ivy and don’t have access to soap. I did not know it was from the impatiens family.
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