Touch-me-nots
What are they?
The touch-me-nots and balsams are a group of plants with showy flowers and usually hairless, succulent stems. Several species have become invasive aliens in North America and Europe, especially in wetland habitats. The flowers of this family are strangely complex, being loosely attached to the plant such that they flutter in the breeze and having long nectar spurs at the back. The names touch-me-not and snapweed come from the seed pods which, when ripe, burst open suddenly and explosively upon contact, thus spreading the seeds widely.
Where are they found?
The one native species found in Cape May is a common and widespread species, typically to be found in freshwater wetland habitats.
Identification
Balsams can be identified from other plant families from their combination of soft, succulent stems and flowers with long nectar spurs. The shape of the flower spur and details of leaf shape will tell the species apart.
Spotted Touch-me-not Impatiens capensis
(Jewelweed) Common and widespread and often forming dense stands in freshwater wetlands. Flowers May to October. The germinating seedlings with their over-sized seed leaves often carpet damp mud in late spring.
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Rose Balsam Impatiens balsamina
(Spotted Snapweed) Commonly grown as a garden annual but not found growing in the wider countryside in the Cape May area until 2014. May occasionally be found on waste ground, but not likely to persist for long. Flowers July to October. The dazzlingly bright flowers make this species readily noticeable.
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