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Photographer: Hugh H. Iltis
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Family Balsaminaceae
Impatiens capensis Meerb.
orange jewelweed, orange touch-me-not, spotted touch-me-not
Impatiens: Latin for "impatient" referring to explosive action of fruit to disperse seed
capensis: of the Cape
Hazardous 
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| Status: | Native |
| Plant: | erect, annual, 2'-6' tall forb, smooth, branched near the top; stems watery inside |
| Flower: | orange, 5 (looks like 3)-parted, 3/4"-1 1/4" long, tubular shape, drooping on thin stalks, spurred and lipped; inflorescence a widely-spreading cluster (raceme) from the leaf axils; blooms July-Sept. |
| Fruit: | long, narrow capsule, exploding when ripe |
| Leaf: | soft, long-stalked |
| Habitat: | moist; woods, forests, meadows, streambanks |
| (Glossary) |
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