Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
jewelweed

jewelweed

1 9.1
A plant with bright orange or yellow flowers that grows in wet places and whose sap soothes itchy skin
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒuːəlˌwiːd/
  • US
translation icon : planta joya
  • Jewelweed often grows in areas where poison ivy is common and can be boiled; rags soaked in this can be applied as compresses.
  • jewelweed flower
  • jewelweed plant

Examples

  • Fall asters, boneset, marsh marigolds, jewelweed, and grand lobelia are blooming in the wildlife corridors we established along the small streams.

    Blog text (30)

  • The sap from the jewelweed plant can help soothe skin irritation caused by poison ivy.

  • Otherwise, Burt's Bees makes a poison ivy soap that contains jewelweed.

    Blog text (21)

  • You can easily spot jewelweed in wet areas because of its bright orange flowers.

  • During the summer months, the bright blooms of jewelweed attract various pollinators in North America.

Synonyms

touch-me-not
vsjewelweed
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A plant with seed pods that burst when you touch them and release seeds

is identified by soothing sap and wet habitat rather than exploding seed pods
Impatiens capensis
vsjewelweed
  • Specialized
9.3

A North American annual plant with bright orange or yellow flowers often called jewelweed that grows in shady, wet places

is the common name used instead of the scientific name

Surface Forms

jewelweed singular
jewelweeds plural

Morphology

jewelweed = jewel + weed (semi-transparent) = jewel + weed

The components 'jewel' and 'weed' are recognizable and indicate a plant, but the specific species and its soothing sap are not predictable from the parts alone.

Etymology

The word jewelweed is made of jewel and weed, where jewel means 'a precious stone' and weed means 'a wild plant', and people called it that because drops of water on its leaves and its bright flowers look like little gems. That's why the name fits this North American plant whose sap people sometimes use to soothe skin.