An American common name for plants of the genus Impatiens, particularly the native North American species Impatiens capensis (spotted jewelweed) and Impatiens pallida (pale jewelweed).
An American common name for plants of the genus Impatiens, particularly the native North American species Impatiens capensis (spotted jewelweed) and Impatiens pallida (pale jewelweed). Typically found growing along stream banks and in moist woodland areas, jewelweed is well known in folk medicine as a remedy for poison ivy rash and insect stings. The name likely comes from the way water beads and glistens on its leaves. The plant's seed pods snap open dramatically when touched, which is why the genus is also called 'touch-me-not.'
After brushing through a patch of poison ivy, she rubbed jewelweed sap on her arm as a traditional remedy.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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(US) A poisonous plant of the species, part of the nightshade () family, occasionally ingested as a hallucinogen.
(US, by extension, proscribed) Any poisonous plant of the genus .
A flowering plant of the genus Polemonium.
A folk name for the common red poppy (Papaver rhoeas), a weed of arable fields notorious for spreading where soil is disturbed. The name gained new cultural resonance after H.G. Wells used 'red weed' for the Martian plant that spreads across Earth in The War of the Worlds (1898).
(US) Impatiens, especially and .
Jewelweed means: Impatiens, especially and .. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up. For most families this word will pass by without incident; it is more a vocabulary curiosity than a parenting concern.
jewelweed means: Impatiens, especially and .. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself. A formal-English equivalent (a synonym or descriptive phrase) is usually safer in writing. When in doubt, paraphrase rather than reuse the slang form.