Impatiens pallida

Impatiens pallida (pale jewelweed, pale touch-me-not or yellow jewelweed) is a flowering plant native to Canada and the United States. It grows in moist to wet soils, generally alongside the closely related Impatiens capensis, producing flowers from midsummer through fall.

Pale jewelweed
Pale jewelweed blooming in the rare Charitable Research Reserve (Ontario, Canada).
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Balsaminaceae
Genus: Impatiens
Species:
I. pallida
Binomial name
Impatiens pallida

Description

The plant can grow up to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in height.[1] The flowers are yellow, with reddish-spots on their faces, and cluster in small quantities among the upper leaves.[1]

Pollination

Nectar spurs are tubular elongations of petals and sepals of certain flowers that usually contain nectar. Flowers of Impatiens pallida have nectar spurs which are thought to have played a role in plant-pollinator coevolution. Most of the nectar spurs of Impatiens pallida are perpendicular but some of them are curved.[2]

These nectar spur flowers are either partially or completely pollinated by insects. The specific pollinator is determined by the curvature of the nectar spur. Since Impatiens pallida have perpendicular nectar spurs, bees are the main pollinators.[2]

Uses

Like Impatiens capensis, the young shoots can be boiled (with two changes of water) as a potherb, and the seeds are also edible.[1]

Along with other species of jewelweed or "touch-me-not", it is a traditional remedy for skin rashes, although controlled studies have not shown efficacy for this purpose.

References
  1. Elias, Thomas S.; Dykeman, Peter A. (2009) [1982]. Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods. New York: Sterling. p. 119. ISBN 978-1-4027-6715-9. OCLC 244766414.
  2. Tavers,S.E., Temeles, E.J. and I. Pan. "The relationship between nectar spur curvature in jewelweed ( Impatients capensis)and pollen removal by hummingbird pollinators" Canadian Journal of Botany, 2003, vol. 81, pp. 164-170


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