by Leslie Renjilian
Impatiens capensis
AKA Jewelweed, Touch-me-nots, or Orange Balsam
Once on a Naturalist's Tour, the guide told us that Jewelweed and Poison Ivy often grow side-by-side in wild areas. The reason being that while Poison Ivy causes a rash in most, the sap of the Jewelweed will relieve the itching. She believed that was Mother Nature gently leading her human children toward learning to care for ourselves in this wild, hard world. What a good mom Mother Nature is.
Speaking of mother's, my own mother is turning 80 today. I'm sure she spent the day paddle boarding in the marshes of coastal of Georgia. Although she has a green thumb, she is not hunting for Jewelweed to fix her up—her secret is bootleg bottles of Tincture of Merthiolate for treating all her wounds and injuries. Back in the 70s, they said we should not be putting mercury into open wounds and took it off the market. Too late for me—my veins are running chock full of it and my mother's must be 90% mercury. Maybe all that mercury helps with balance on the paddle board.
But back to the weed at hand. A widespread and common weed, the USDA range map shows Jewelweed in all but seven states. The bright orange flowers are popular with hummingbirds and other pollinators. Supposedly, the common name Jewelweed refers to the diamond-like appearance of water droplets on the leaves. Interestingly, the leaves are waterproof. If you submerge them, they appear silver because microscopic hairs create a layer of air on the surface of the leaf preventing it from getting wet.
In addition to being pretty and fun (see the video below of the exploding seed pod, Jewelweed has a long history of use in Native American medicine. The USDA says this: "When applied topically, sap from the stem and leaves is said to relieve itching and pain from a variety of ailments, including hives, poison ivy, stinging nettle, and other skin sores and irritations. The sap has also been shown to have anti-fungal properties and can be used to treat athlete’s foot."
Look for it in many of the gardens around Chautauqua this week and share some fun facts with your friends.
Photo above of a Jewelweed flower in the Secret Silo Garden by Tim Renjilian.
Video below below by Clair Beltran of the Jewelweed (or Touch-me-not) seed pod bursting open when touched in Central Park in NYC.
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