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Impatiens noli-tangere

Table of Contents

Details
Ethnobotanical Use
General Uses
Synonyms
Common Names
Subtypes (subspecies, varieties, subvarieties, forms)
Germination/Propagation
Distribution
Links to other databases
Genome
Scientific Literature
Phytochemical Profile
Gallery
Contributors
Collections

Details Top

Internal ID UUID644021c20840a936120234
Scientific name Impatiens noli-tangere
Authority L.
First published in Sp. Pl. : 938 (1753)

Ethnobotanical Use Top

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General Uses Top

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Common products:
Impatiens noli‑tangere is cultivated as an ornamental plant and is sold by nurseries for use in garden borders, native‑plant schemes and wildlife gardens. The species is listed in horticultural reference works (e.g., RHS Plant Finder) and is offered for sale as a pot‑grown annual for seasonal colour. The bright yellow flowers and the conspicuous, explosively dehiscent seed capsules make it a popular subject for garden displays, and cut stems are occasionally used in small‑scale flower arrangements.

Industrial and craft applications:
The mature seed capsules are harvested and employed in craft and educational settings because they burst open when gently squeezed, producing a rapid pop and scattering the seeds. This property is used in children’s science projects and in classroom demonstrations of ballistic seed dispersal mechanisms. The capsules are also incorporated into hobbyist “popping” toys and are sometimes used in craft kits to illustrate plant‑driven mechanical energy release.

Properties relevant to use:
The seed capsule walls consist of thin, lignified parenchyma with a high degree of elastic strain energy; when the valve reaches a critical turgor threshold, stored elastic energy is released, causing the capsule to split and the valves to coil at speeds of 1–2 m s⁻¹. This rapid, low‑energy dehiscence enables the capsules to be used as natural, self‑actuating “springs” in low‑tech educational demonstrations and craft devices. The plant’s vigorous seed production and simple germination requirements facilitate commercial propagation of the species for these applications.

Standards and regulation:
Horticultural trade of Impatiens noli‑tangere follows standard plant‑health regulations that govern ornamental species. In the European Union the trade is subject to the Plant Health Directive (2000/29/EC) and associated national phytosanitary measures; in the United States the species is regulated under the Federal Plant Protection Act and administered by the USDA‑APHIS. No specific quality or safety standards for the capsules or plant material are currently defined beyond these general phytosanitary requirements.

Sustainability and sourcing:
The species is widespread across temperate Eurasia and North America and is not listed as threatened or invasive. Commercial stock is produced from cultivated seed, requiring minimal inputs (standard horticultural media, water and occasional fertilization) and can be propagated without wild collection. Consequently, the environmental footprint of ornamental production is low, and the plant is generally regarded as a sustainable choice for garden use and educational material.

Synonyms Top

Scientific name Authority First published in
Balsamina lutea Delarbre Fl. Auvergne , ed. 2: 504 (1800)
Balsamina noli-tangere (L.) Scop. Fl. Carniol. , ed. 2, 2: 184 (1772)
Impatiens borealis Sweet Hort. Brit. , ed. 2: 588 (1830)
Impatiens caucasica Steven Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 21(II): 276 (1848)
Impatiens cucullata Gilib. Fl. Lit. Inch. 2: 121 (1782)
Impatiens lutea Lam. Fl. Franç. (Lamarck) 2: 666. 1779 [1778 publ. after 21 Mar 1779]
Impatiens noli-me-tangere Crantz Inst. Rei Herb. 2: 430 (1766)
Impatiens palustris Pers. Syn. Pl. 1: 257 (1805)
Impatiens penduliflora St.-Lag. Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon 7: 128 (1880)
Impatiens occidentalis Rydb. N. Amer. Fl. 25: 94 (1910)
Impatiens komarovii Pobed. Bot. Zhurn. (Moscow & Leningrad) 34: 68 (1949)
Impatiens noli-tangere f. hemileuca Koji Ito & Hinoma J. Jap. Bot. 71: 301 (1996)
Impatiens noli-tangere f. pallidiflora H.Lindb. Exsicc. (Pl. Finland.) 9-20: 106 (1916)
Impatiens noli-tangere f. pallescens Beger Ill. Fl. Mitt.-Eur. 5: 316 (1925)
Impatiens noli-tangere f. albiflora A.F.Schwarz ex Beger & Em.Schmid Ill. Fl. Mitt.-Eur. 5: 316 (1924)
Impatiens noli-tangere f. pallida Herm. ex Beger & Em.Schmid Ill. Fl. Mitt.-Eur. 5: 316 (1924)
Impatiens noli-tangere var. parviflora Kitag. J. Jap. Bot. 29: 168 (1954)
Balsamina impatiens A.Rich. Dict. Class. Hist. Nat. 2: 173 (1822)
Impatiens noli-tangere var. pallescens (Beger) Nakai Tennenkinenbutu-Tyosa-Hokoku, Syokubutu 12: 51 (1930)
Impatiens noli-tangere var. pallida (Herm. ex Beger & Em.Schmid) M.Kim Korean Endemic Pl. : 131 (2004)

Common names Top

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Language Common/alternative name
English western touch-me-not
English balsam
English wild balsam
English western jewel-weed
English touch-me-not balsam
English jewelweed
English touch-me-not
English yellow balsam
Spanish yerba de santa catalina
Spanish yerba de las moscas
Spanish nometoques
Spanish no quieras tocarme
Spanish hierba de santa catalina
Spanish balsamina de los bosques
Azerbaijani adi balzamin
azb عادی بالزامین
Belarusian Бальзамін звычайны
Belarusian пстрыкаўка
Belarusian бельсаміна лесавая
Belarusian бальсаміна
Bulgarian горска слабонога
Catalan balsamine des bois
Catalan noli me tàngere
Catalan herba de santa cristina
Catalan balsamina salvatge
Czech netýkavka nedůtklivá
Welsh ffromlys melyn
Danish spring-balsamin
German altweiberzorn
German echtes springkraut
German großes rührmichnichtan
German großes springkraut
German rühr-mich-nicht-an
German wald-springkraut
German balsamine des bois
Estonian õrn lemmalts
Persian گل بیصبر
Finnish lehtopalsami
Finnish isokukkainen häpykannus
Finnish korpipalsami
French impatiente n'y-touchez-pas
French impatiente ne-me-touchez-pas
French balsamine des bois
Manx balsym buigh
Upper Sorbian njedótk
Upper Sorbian cyrkawc
Upper Sorbian wulki pryskawc
Upper Sorbian sypotawka
Hungarian erdei nebáncsvirág
Japanese キツリフネ
Japanese 黄釣船
Georgian ჩვეულებრივი უკადრისა
Cornish tardhles
lb kräitche réiermechnetun
Lithuanian paprastoji sprigė
Lithuanian balsamine des bois
Latvian meža sprigane
Norwegian Bokmål springfrø
Dutch groot springzaad
Norwegian Nynorsk springfrø
os Æнæвнæл
pcd juyin·ne
pcd bélzamie
pcd bélzhamin·ne
pcd binjamin·ne
Polish niecierpek pospolity
Portuguese não-me-toques
Portuguese erva-não-me-toques
Portuguese erva-de-santa-catarina
Portuguese balsamina-do-mato
Russian Недотрога западная
Russian Недотрога Комарова
Russian Недотрога обыкновенная
Russian или Ванька мокрый
Russian или Бальзамин
Slovak netýkavka nedotklivá
Serbian prskavac
Swedish balsamine des bois
Swedish springkorn
Turkish yabani kına çiçeği
Chinese 辉菜花
Chinese 輝菜花
Chinese 水金凤
Chinese 水金鳳

Subspecies (abbr. subsp./ssp.) Top

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Varieties (abbr. var.) Top

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Subvarieties (abbr. subvar.) Top

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Forms (abbr. f.) Top

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Germination/Propagation Top

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No germination or propagation data was added yet.

Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top

Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
  • Asia-temperate
    • Caucasus
      • North Caucasus
      • Transcaucasus
    • China
      • China North-central
      • China South-central
      • China Southeast
      • Inner Mongolia
      • Manchuria
      • Qinghai
    • Eastern Asia
      • Japan
      • Korea
    • Middle Asia
      • Kazakhstan
      • Kirgizstan
    • Mongolia
      • Mongolia
    • Russian Far East
      • Amur
      • Kamchatka
      • Khabarovsk
      • Kuril Islands
      • Magadan
      • Primorye
      • Sakhalin
    • Siberia
      • Altay
      • Buryatiya
      • Chita
      • Irkutsk
      • Krasnoyarsk
      • Tuva
      • West Siberia
      • Yakutskiya
    • Western Asia
      • Iran
      • Turkey
  • Europe
    • Eastern Europe
      • Baltic States
      • Belarus
      • Central European Russia
      • East European Russia
      • Krym
      • North European Russia
      • Northwest European Russia
      • South European Russia
      • Ukraine
    • Middle Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Germany
      • Hungary
      • Netherlands
      • Poland
      • Switzerland
    • Northern Europe
      • Denmark
      • Finland
      • Great Britain
      • Norway
      • Sweden
    • Southeastern Europe
      • Albania
      • Bulgaria
      • Greece
      • Italy
      • Romania
      • Yugoslavia
    • Southwestern Europe
      • France
      • Spain
  • Northern America
    • Northwestern U.S.A.
      • Oregon
      • Washington
    • Southwestern U.S.A.
      • California
    • Subarctic America
      • Alaska
      • Northwest Territorie
      • Yukon
    • Western Canada
      • Alberta
      • British Columbia
      • Manitoba
      • Saskatchewan

Links to other databases Top

Suggest others/fix!
Database ID/link to page
World Flora Online wfo-0000730791
Canadensys 3658
USDA Plants IMNO
Tropicos 3100025
INPN 103553
Flora of Italy 3047
KEW urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30208246-2
The Plant List kew-2862919
PFAF Impatiens occidentalis
PFAF Impatiens noli-tangere
Open Tree Of Life 460548
NCBI Taxonomy 127129
NBN Atlas NBNSYS0000003186
Nature Serve 2.149328
IUCN Red List 64314907
IPNI 30208246-2
iNaturalist 85492
GBIF 2891779
Freebase /m/0dspfp
EPPO IPANT
EOL 581164
Elurikkus 5232
USDA GRIN 19841
Wikipedia Impatiens_noli-tangere

Genomes (via NCBI) Top

Below is displayed the reference genome only!
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
Accession Assembly
Name Level Submitter Released Coverage Size
GCA_965213615.1 ddImpNoli1.hap1.1 Chromosome WELLCOME SANGER INSTITUTE 2025-03-21 41 563.77 Mb

Scientific Literature Top

Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Title Authors Publication Released IDs
Reinvestigation of Original Taraxanthin Samples Richard Buchecker, Synnøve Liaaen‐Jensen, Conrad Hans Eugster Wiley 24-Dec-2004
doi:10.1002/HLCA.19760590440
Neoxanthin from Helianthus, Taraxacum and Impatiens H. Nitsche, Christine Pleugel Elsevier BV 25-Jul-2002
doi:10.1016/S0031-9422(00)86413-4
Quantitative determination of naphthoquinones of Impatiens species. Lobstein A, Brenne X, Feist E, Metz N, Weniger B, Anton R Phytochem Anal 01-May-2001
doi:10.1002/PCA.574
PMID:11705027

Phytochemical Profile Top

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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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Name PubChem ID Canonical SMILES MW Found in Proof
> Benzenoids / Naphthalenes / Naphthoquinones
2-Hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone 6755 Click to see 174.15 unknown https://doi.org/10.1002/PCA.574
> Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Tetraterpenoids / Carotenoids / Xanthophylls
2-[(2Z,4E,6E,8E,10E,12E,14E,16E)-17-(4-hydroxy-2,2,6-trimethyl-7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]heptan-1-yl)-6,11,15-trimethylheptadeca-2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16-octaen-2-yl]-4,4,7a-trimethyl-2,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1-benzofuran-6-ol 101526841 Click to see CC(=CC=CC=C(C)C=CC=C(C)C1C=C2C(CC(CC2(O1)C)O)(C)C)C=CC=C(C)C=CC34C(CC(CC3(O4)C)O)(C)C 600.90 unknown https://doi.org/10.1002/HLCA.19760590440
CID 162925007 162925007 Click to see CC1=C(C(CC(C1)O)(C)C)C=CC(=CC=CC(=CC=CC=C(C)C=CC=C(C)C=C=C2C(CC(CC2(C)O)O)(C)C)C)C 584.90 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)86413-4
Lutein A 5281243 Click to see 568.90 unknown https://doi.org/10.1002/HLCA.19760590440
Violaxanthin 448438 Click to see 600.90 unknown https://doi.org/10.1002/HLCA.19760590440

Gallery Top

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Contributors Top

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Collections Top

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