Stats

Lifespan: Annual
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Freshwater wetland
Range: North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Common

About

Spotted Jewelweed is a North American annual wildflower with dangling orange, red-spotted trumpet blooms that hummingbirds and bumblebees seek out. Its ripe seed pods burst explosively when touched, launching seeds several feet — earning it the nickname 'touch-me-not.'

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Ericales
Family: Balsaminaceae
Genus: Impatiens
Species: Impatiens capensis