Spotted touch-me-not

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Spotted touch-me-not leaf

Spotted touch-me-not

Spotted touch-me-not

Spotted touch-me-not flower

Spotted touch-me-not flowers

Spotted touch-me-not

Spotted touch-me-not habit

Spotted touch-me-not flower

Spotted touch-me-not capsules

Spotted touch-me-not

Spotted touch-me-not leaf

Spotted touch-me-not flower

Morphology

Stem

Erect, hollow, weak, glabrous, succulent, pale green, branched above, nodes enlarged.

Leaves

Alternate, simple, ovate or elliptic, .8 to 4.8 inches long, .6 to 2.2 inches wide, thin, pale green, glabrous, pale or waxy beneath; margins scalloped or bluntly toothed; teeth widely spaced, often terminating in minute, sharp points; stalks 1/5 to 4 inches long.

Inflorescence

Solitary or small clusters of 2-4 flowers from leaf axils, drooping; stalks to 4/5 inch long.

Flower

Showy, irregular, cornucopia-shaped, .8 to 1.2 inches long, orange to red, usually with crimson spots; sepals 3, petal-like, 2 lateral ones small, middle 1 spurred; spur 1/4 to 2/5 inch long, bent back parallel to body; petals appearing as 3, upper broader than long, lateral ones 2-lobed; stamens 5, anthers united around stigma; pistil 1.

Fruit

Capsule, slender, somewhat club-shaped, about 4/5 inch long, glabrous, 5-celled; tip pointed; splitting into 5 spirally coiled parts; seeds 1/6 to 1/5 inch long, oblong to ovate, slightly flattened, surface often bumpy, 4 longitudinal ridges, mottled green to dark brown; tip beak-like.

Ecology

Habitat

Moist woods, stream banks, wet roadside ditches, wooded marsh and pond margins, seepy areas, moist disturbed areas.

Distribution

East 1/4 of Kansas and Cloud and Norton Counties.

Practical Information

Toxicity

Toxic to livestock when consumed in large quantities.

Forage Value

The seeds are eaten by prairie chickens, pheasant, quail, ruffled grouse, and white-footed mice.

Uses

Native Americans applied the crushed leaves and stems to skin rashes and eczema. The juice of the plant has been shown to have fungicidal properties. The juice alleviates the itch of poison ivy and the pain of stinging nettle and was rubbed on the head for headaches. A poultice of the crushed flower buds was applied to cuts, burns, and bruises. A cold infusion of the plant was taken for fevers and stomach cramps and used as a liniment for soreness. The whole plant was used to make an orange-yellow dye. The young shoots are edible, after boiling and changing the water.

Additional Notes