I’ve written about jewel weed often over the years. The lovely orange variety grows prolifically throughout my mountain holler.
For many years I’ve known the plant is good for bee stings, bug bites, and plants that cause skin irritation like poison oak. Interestingly it often grows near those pesky itch filled plants.
Since I was a small girl I’ve taken great delight in the way the seed pods pop open at the slightest touch when they are full. The flinging of all those tiny seeds is one reason the plant is so common. Another name for the plant describes that process: wild touch me nots.
I’ve taken many a child here in Wilson holler to a handy jewel weed patch and taught them the wonderful game of touching the pods and watching the seeds fly here and yon.
I can’t wait to show Woodrow and Ira.
As familiar as I am with jewel weed I did not know the seeds are edible. They have a wonderful walnut flavor. Granted it would take a whole lot of seeds to fill you up since they are so small, but I’m thrilled to have found another reason to admire the beautiful orange blooms and the succulent stems that hold the plant upright as it grows throughout the summer.
Tipper
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Hi Tipper and Acorns. We played with Jewel weed back in the 1960’s. We wore the flowers as earrings using the little “hook” to keep them on our earlobes. My first piece of jewelry. I have them pressed in a Bible I think it was 1962 and I was 4yrs old. I keep everyone here and up Wilson Holler Road in my prayers. TY all for keeping My son, Ed and me in your prayers. I love y’all.
I wish jewel weed grew down here. They are beautiful!!
I have such good memories of the little things that kept us occupied throughout summer vacation…one of them being popping touch-me-nots. It was such a simple, slower time of life.
I know very little about the different varieties of flowers. I thought of Tipper and particularly one member about 2 weeks ago. While driving 30 miles through parts of 3 counties to pick up my grandson for the weekend, I saw plots of flowers similar to this jewel weed planted along the side of the highway. They were far enough off the side to not be cut when the highway was being mowed. One member mentioned some states planting flower seed along the highways.
Morning everyone. This is interesting. When I looked up Jewel Weed, it says it’s an Impatiens. I guess the Impatiens that grew everywhere in California was the Balsamina type? The flowers were flat, not so interesting. But looking at the leaves and trying to remember back. I think I have seen the Jewel Weed type, I just didn’t know what they were. They grew with the regular type, but if no poppers, my kids moved on. This was pre Google time. My 3 kids called them poppers. I admit I liked popping open the seeds too. I haven’t thought of them in years. I might try growing some here. The Jewel weed type. It says it grows in constantly wet, shady, boggy, overflow from streams and lakes, too much ground water type soil. That pretty much describes our property. Seriously Tipper, you should think about teaching. You and Matt’s knowledge is incredible, and interesting. And your daughters are so lucky to have you. Anna from Arkansas.
“…I did not know the seeds are edible. They have a wonderful walnut flavor. Granted it would take a whole lot of seeds to fill you up since they are so small…” Well, don’t eat them out of hand. Grab a bunch of them and use them as flavoring or as a garnish. Problem solved! 😉
Again today, I learned something new from reading this post. The fact that the jewel weed seeds are edible is quite interesting. Sometimes, we don’t need to eat a large quantity of food to feel satisfied when there’s a delightful flavor to savor. I wish I had known that the seeds were edible during my childhood when I wandered the hills of eastern Kentucky. I’m sure the boys will squeal with delight the same way their mammas did when the seed pods pop open.
Sultanas (what fancy people call impatiens) are cousins of the wild-touch-me-not and their seeds pop like that too. Mommy used to grow sultanas inside in a window in the winter time. I can remember looking every day to see if the seed pods were ready to bust open.
I know sultana is a type of grape that is dried into raisins but why can’t we both be right.
So cool ! What an amazing gift of a plant !
Praying for all .
What a wonderful plant. Only God could make such a wonder. As always praying for Papaw Tony, Nana Janet and Matt at this difficult time.
Tipper, you must’ve really learned a lot at the school on your recent outdoor tutelage. Thank you for sharing about jewel weed seed being edibles. To me, I always like the tiny orange blooms and I secretly called them in my mind “ladies slippers cause they look like tiny “old fashioned” shoes to me. I’d rather wrestle a snake than come up against poison ivy. It’ll drive me batty itching and what not. Daddy would dowse himself (poison exposed parts that is) in Fleecy White and it worked for him I reckon. Keep the wild edibles knowledge coming cause I for one am a greenhorn and got plenty to learn about natural fauna, etc. And thank you if I didn’t say it for always making me a better person in one way or another by all you teach and show me. You’re a gentle and kind teacher who I appreciate very much. Just wanted you to know how precious you are and interesting too… The grandsons are blessed to have such an intelligent and doting grandmother who let’s face it – you are GRAND!
Would the seeds taste good in a muffin like poppy seeds? Then you could get the flavor even though there isn’t much quantity.
Great idea 🙂
As the saying is, “Live and learn.” Never run out of things we don’t know but are shot to find out. I remember picking snap dragon seed pods just to get them to open inside my hand after a very gentle squeeze. The way they unfurled so sudden felt like I was holding a bug or something.
Another plant that shoots seeds is the witch hazel. If a twig with seed capsules on it is brought indoors and just stuck somewhere dry and left alone sometime or other the capsule will open and then soon the little black seed will shoot across the room with a snap. That’s one of nature’s ways of sowing out from under the shade of the parent plant; close but not too close.
Love the jewel weed, but they are extremely invasive and will take over flower beds in a season.
I love jewelweed and yes the seeds do taste like walnuts! We also have a native one with yellow flowers (Impatiens pallida) that I see much less often than the orange (Impatiens capensis). Both have the same wonderful properties!
Tipper, thank you so much for sharing your experience and knowledge about plants. Every time you learn something new you are always excited to share that new knowledge with all of us. Thank you!
To my knowledge, we don’t have jewel weed in my area (wcIL) I love the way you describe it your want to show Ira & Woodrow. My 11 month old great granddaughter recently started walking & there are so many things, namely the tiny toads down at the pond, I want to show her. What a wonderous world awaits our tiny humans ♡ Prayers and thankfulness for Papaw Tony. I’m so relieved they finally have a treatment in place. I have 2 anti-nausea medicines that I can alternate every 4 hours after my chemo treatments. I have barely (throughout 13 rounds of chemo) experienced any nausea. They are a Godsend and I pray his doctors stay ahead of such for him. If not, please advocate for him♡
please pray for me, pain in my back upper right area, Tylenol and ibuprofen are not helping and I have nothing else, thank you and God bless you, I became familiar with jewel weed about 3 or 4 yr ago, it could be Tipper and some of you that helped me find out what it was, I know several of you help me with the wild green beans, thank you and God bless you
I’m sorry Norman. I will keep praying. God bless you!