E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Impatiens noli-tangere L.
common touch-me-not (western touch-me-not)
Balsaminaceae (Touch-me-not family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Jamie Fenneman  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #26103)

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Distribution of Impatiens noli-tangere
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Introduction

Western touch-me-not is a native annual species of moist streambanks and forests. Yellow spurred flowers appear in summer.

Species Information

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General:
Annual succulent herb; stems erect to ascending, often branched, hairy, 20-60 cm tall.
Leaves:
Alternate, stalked, elliptic to egg-shaped, coarsely saw-toothed, 3-12 cm long.
Flowers:
One to several in leaf axils, yellow, sparingly flecked with brownish-purple; sepals pouched, with spurs curved or deflexed forward.
Fruits:
Capsules, elastically dehiscent, 10-20 mm long, many-seeded.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Moist streambanks and forests in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; infrequent throughout BC south of 57degreeN; circumboreal, N to SE AK, E to MB, and S to ID and OR; Eurasia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Impatiens noli-tangere

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 15 348 1740
Slope Gradient (%) 0 4 50
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
3 206 340
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
2 5 7
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
E
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
58
Modal BEC Zone Class
CWH
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BWBS(2), CWH(32), ICH(15), SBS(9)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Impatiens occidentalis Rydb.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References