Yellow Touch-Me-Not (Impatiens pallida), also called Yellow or Pale Jewelweed, is now blooming throughout Schenley Park.
Some of the plants have matured enough to have seed pods waiting to burst at my touch.
So of course I touched them!
Click on the photo to learn more and see close-ups of the flower at Flora Pittsburghgensis.
(photo by Christopher Bailey from Flora Pittsburghgensis)
I have these in the yard in one area and seems bigger than other varieties…..I have the usual orange and also a pink to almost burgandy color too…I like having them around, since they are a native and the hummers love them…can’t wait to get some photos with my new camera..If you look closely, you can see the difference between the male and female plants…One of my favorite childhood plants…popping the seedheads.
this is supposedly a remedy for poison ivy rash. Break the very juicy stalk and rub the fluid over infected areas.
And in the early evening as it is getting dark, the blossoms seem to have a little of their own light. Yellow is more common than orange around here. I do remember applying jewel weed juice even to bug bites. and when introducing small children to the pods that burst when you touch them, the kids squeal with delight. It’s a great moment.
If you take a leaf and sprinkle water on the underside, it reflects a very bright silver. Hence the name Jewelweed. And Steve – you are right. A natural remedy to PI rash. Only I’ve used the basel leaves, not the stems. Note how closely the seed pods resemble “domesticated” impatiens.