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Impatiens capensis - Meerb.
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Common Name
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Jewelweed
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Family
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Balsaminaceae
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Synonyms
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I. biflora. I. fulva.
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Known Hazards
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Regular ingestion of large quantities of these plants can be dangerous due to their high mineral content[172]. This report, which seems nonsensical, might refer to calcium oxalate. This mineral is found in I. capensis and so is probably also in other members of the genus. It can be harmful raw but is destroyed by thoroughly cooking or drying the plant[K]. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones and hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet[238].
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Habitats
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Along the banks of rivers and canals[5], also in low-lying moist woodlands, avoiding acid soils[62].
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Range
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N. America - Newfoundland to Saskatchewan. Naturalized in Britain.
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Edibility Rating
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Medicinal Rating
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Care
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Physical Characteristics
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Impatiens capensis is a ANNUAL growing to 1.2 m (4ft) at a fast rate.
It is hardy to zone 2. It is in flower from Jul to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, self.The plant is self-fertile.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Ram-Man |
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| http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Dysmachus |
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Habitats
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Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Bog Garden;
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Edible Uses
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Edible Parts: Leaves; Seed; Stem.
Edible Uses:
The succulent stems, whilst still young and tender, can be cut up and cooked like green beans[183]. Young leaves and shoots - cooked. They contain calcium oxalate crystals[62]. Calcium oxalate is usually destroyed by thorough cooking[K]. Large quantities of the leaves are purgative[55]. See also the notes above on toxicity.
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Medicinal Uses
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Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Antidote; Poultice; Stings; Warts.
Jewelweed was commonly used as a medicinal herb by a number of native North American Indian tribes[257], and has been widely used in domestic medicine. Its main value lies in its external application for wounds and a range of skin complaints. However, it is little used in modern herbalism and is considered to be dangerous and 'wholly questionable' when used internally[4]. The herb is antidote, cathartic, diuretic and emetic[4, 172, 207, 213]. An infusion has been used in the treatment of fevers, difficult urination, measles, stomach cramps, jaundice etc[257]. The juice of the leaves is used externally in the treatment of piles, fungal dermatitis, nettle stings, poison ivy rash, burns etc[4, 172, 207, 213, 257]. The sap is used to remove warts[207]. A poultice of the leaves is applied to bruises, burns, cuts etc[222].
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Other Uses
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Dye; Fungicide.
The fresh juice obtained from the plant is a fungicide. This juice can be concentrated by boiling it[62]. A yellow dye has been made from the flowers[4]. It can be made from the whole plant[257].
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Cultivation details
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Succeeds in any reasonably good soil[1]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a moist well-drained humus rich soil in a cool shady site[1, 200]. Plants self-sow in areas where minimum winter temperatures go no lower than -15°c[200]. This plant has seed capsules that spring open forcibly as the seed ripens to eject the seed a considerable distance. The capsules are sensitive to touch even before the seed is ripe, making seed collection difficult but fun[K].
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Propagation
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Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
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 You can download this page as a PDF
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Botanical References
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17200
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Links / References
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[K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
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[1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
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Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
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[4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal.
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Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
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[5]Mabey. R. Food for Free.
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Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.
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[55]Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds.
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Interesting reading.
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[62]Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants.
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Very readable.
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[172]Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
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A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.
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[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
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Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
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[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
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Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
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[207]Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers.
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A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.
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[213]Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food.
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A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.
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[222]Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America.
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A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
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[257]Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany
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Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
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Subject : Impatiens capensis
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