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Native Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Impatiens pallida (Pale touch-me-not)
Bransford, W.D. and Dolphia

Impatiens pallida Nutt.

Pale touch-me-not, Yellow jewelweed

Balsaminaceae (Touch-Me-Not Family)

USDA Symbol: IMPA

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

A tall leafy plant with succulent, translucent stems bearing nodding, usually pale yellow flowers occasionally splotched with reddish brown.

This soft-stemmed annual is less common than the very similar Spotted Touch-me-not (I. capensis). The sensitive triggering of seeds from the ripe capsule inspired these species (as well as the familys) common name touch-me-not. Policemans Hat (I. glandulifera), a large, purple-flowered species with mostly whorled or opposite leaves, is found from Ontario east to Nova Scotia and south to Massachusetts.

 

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Leaf: Green
Fruit:

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , NC , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , VA , VT , WI , WV
Canada: NB , NL , NS , PE , SK
Native Distribution: Ontario east to Nova Scotia, south to Georgia, west to Oklahoma, and north to North Dakota.
Native Habitat: Wet woods and meadows; often on mountainsides in wet, shady, limestone or neutral sites.
USDA Native Status: L48(N), CAN(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist , Wet
CaCO3 Tolerance: High

Benefit

Conspicuous Flowers: yes

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Bumble Bees

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
* Available Online from Wildflower Center Store

Bibliography

* The Midwestern Native Garden: Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants An Illustrated Guide (2011) Adelman, Charlotte and Schwartz, Bernard L.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Impatiens pallida in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Impatiens pallida in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Impatiens pallida

Metadata

Record Modified: 2012-12-07
Research By: TWC Staff

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