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Diary entry for Oct. 9, 2022: "Since there has not been a killing frost in our area, I am still seeing jewelweed flowers in bloom. The name of Jewelweed comes from its comparison to a jewel sparkling in the sun after rain and dew bead up on the plant."
By the end of September, the pods, of the jewelweed plant, are ripe and explode at the slightest touch. This gives the plant the common name of Touch Me Not. The seeds can be shot into the air as far as six feet. Since the plant grows along streams, the seeds can float for long distances. The large capsules contain three to five seeds that are eaten by several types of birds.
Can you imagine the surprise a bird has when a seed capsule explodes?
If you are not positive which flower I'm writing about, it's the red-flecked, orange flower Impatiens capensis and the yellow flower Impatiens pallida found growing along streams and wet openings. The name of "impatient' comes from the way the seeds are jettisoned out of their pods.
Jewelweed is a leafy annual that can grow up to six feet. The stem is almost a translucent pale green and contains a watery orange juice that flows freely when the stem is broken. Modern testing has found that the juice contains chemicals that are considered fungicides. This juice is believed by many to be the most reliable remedy for poison ivy rash, stinging nettles and insect bites.
Any part of the plant can be crushed and then rubbed on the skin where contact had been made with any of the fore-mentioned problems. The jewelweed sap is best used before the body sets up its own immune reaction (before the poison ivy begins to itch). If used in time, there is a good chance of completely neutralizing whatever the problem is. Jewelweed juice can soothe even after the itch begins.
The plant is cross-pollinated in the typical way, with bees, insects and even hummingbirds seeking the sweet nectar of the flower. In doing so, they become coated with pollen that is carried to the next plant. Cross pollination is now completed.
The plant also has a built in back up system for cross-pollination. The flower functions as a male after opening. On the following day, the flower drops the anther, which exposes the stigma. Because each flower progresses from entirely a male phase to an entirely female phase, self-fertilization is prevented, and cross-fertilization is ensured.
Therefore, if there was a year without insects, the jewelweed plant would be cross-pollinated.
Now, if that is not amazing enough, there is more. The plant produces another flower, one that is very tiny and grows from the axils of the leaves. This small flower is known as cleistogamous, a Greek word meaning hidden marriage. The large flowers growing at the end of the stems are called chasma, which is also Greek, meaning an opening. Individual plants produce both types of flowers.
The tiny flowers never open to admit insects and are self-pollinated. They have no nectar and only a few grains of pollen.
Why would a plant have two types of flowers? To understand why, one needs to know something about the plant. It grows almost anywhere there is moisture; hence, it is classified as a weed. The seed, which weighs less than 1,000th of an ounce, will start to grow in March, and by August, the plant could reach six feet. By growing so quickly, it does not have time to develop a woody stem and instead has a hollow stem full of juice. The stem is held erect by turgor pressure, meaning the cells are held erect from pressure within the plant.
The plants can stop growing and channel their energy into flowers and seeds. This is important. During years of a poor growing season or drought, the plants could only grow about two feet tall. However, these plants could have as many flowers as a six-foot plant. This ability assures the jewelweed plant that enough seeds are set each year to ensure that the plants grow the next season.
Although both flowers produce seeds every year, the cross-pollinated flowers produce the superior seed. In years of severe drought conditions, only the self-pollinated flowers will produce seeds. So, no matter what happens, the plant always produces seeds.
Take a child for a walk and introduce them to the jewelweed plant. Watch the child's expression as the flower explodes after being touched. Not only will you be sowing seeds for the plant, but you might also be planting a seed in the youngster's mind, a seed of the love of nature.
The following was written by Erasmus Darwin in 1789:
"With fierce distracted eye Impatient stands
Swell her pale checks and brandishes her hand,
With rage and hate the astonished groves alarms
And hurls her infants from her frantic arms."
Bill Bower is a retired Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Officer. Read his blog and listen to his podcasts on the outdoors at www.onemaningreen.com.