Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)

                

     
Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) 

Spotted jewelweed is a native, self-seeding annual that often forms dense stands in shaded wetlands and along streams. It grows two to five feet tall and has leafy, succulent stems that appear slightly translucent. The pendant, golden-orange flowers are about an inch long and marked with red-orange splotches. Each flower has a hooked nectar spur and a two-lipped corolla formed from three fused petals and three sepals, one of which is enlarged into a pouch-like structure. The alternate leaves are one to three inches long, oval, and sharply toothed, each carried on a short leafstalk. The plant grows in clay, loam, or sand as long as moisture is steady and the site remains shaded.

Ecologically, spotted jewelweed is an important understory species in moist woodlands and shaded riparian corridors. Its tubular orange flowers draw long-tongued pollinators such as bumblebees and hummingbirds during a period when few other native plants bloom in saturated soils. Dense stands help stabilize streambanks and reduce erosion, and the plant’s explosive seed dispersal allows rapid recolonization of disturbed ground. Several moth species have been reported to use jewelweed as a larval host, though records remain limited. Its lush growth provides cover for amphibians and small invertebrates, adding structure and shelter where water meets forest.

Sources:

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – Endangered Resources Program 

UW–Madison Herbarium – Wisconsin State Herbarium Species Accounts 

Flora of Wisconsin – Impatiens capensis Species Page 

USDA NRCS PLANTS Database – Impatiens capensis Profile 

NatureServe Explorer – Impatiens capensis Conservation Status 

Minnesota Wildflowers – Impatiens capensis Description 

Illinois Wildflowers – Impatiens capensis Ecological Notes 

Prairie Moon Nursery – Impatiens capensis Species Profile 

Prairie Nursery – Jewelweed Species Description 

Tallgrass Prairie Center – Riparian Plant Ecology 

Butterflies and Moths of North America – Host Plant Records for Impatiens capensis

(SF)