The Dawes Arboretum

Common name: orange jewelweed, spotted touch-me-not

Family: Balsaminaceae (touch-me-not family)

Distribution: North America, naturalized elsewhere

IUCN Red list: Least concern

Life form: Annual

Comments: Jewelweed is a native annual that blooms in summer, though you will see plants carpeting the Woodland Garden and other moist woods all spring as they grow from seedlings to maturity. The flowers are bright orange with reddish brown spotting and shaped like a cornucopia. They are borne on lanky, fragile stems that are slightly shiny, while the smooth bluish green foliage has a somewhat matte appearance. Hummingbirds and bees are frequent pollinators. The real fun of this plant comes after it blooms and is the reason for its other common name, spotted-touch-me-not. Kids (and adults too) will love to play with jewelweed because of one thing – exploding seed capsules! Slender seed capsules ripen in fall and, at the slightest touch, will explosively split open to let tiny seeds fly out in all directions. There is an audible "pop" when this happens, which is quite amusing.