Common Jewelweed vs koala

Impatiens capensis compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

Common Jewelweed is Not Evaluated while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Jewelweed	koala
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Ericales (Ericales)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Balsaminaceae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Impatiens	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Impatiens capensis	Phascolarctos cinereus

Conservation Status

Common Jewelweed

NE — Not Evaluated

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Jewelweed	koala
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	75 cm
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Jewelweed

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Japan), Europe (11 countries), and North America (Canada, United States).

koala

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, forests, and vegetated habitats.

Range

Found in Australia. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Jewelweed

Common Jewelweed (<em>Impatiens capensis</em>) is an annual flowering plant in the family Balsaminaceae, native to North America and widely distributed across portions of Asia and Europe. Its native range includes Canada and the United States in North America, Japan in Asia, and eleven European countries, reflecting a broad geographical distribution. The species typically inhabits diverse terrestrial environments, thriving in moist, shaded conditions such as stream banks, wetland margins, forest understories, and disturbed ground. It is well known for its explosive seed dispersal mechanism, which aids colonization of new sites. Common Jewelweed is frequently associated with riparian corridors and is valued in some regions for its traditional use as a remedy for skin irritation. Its conservation status has not been formally evaluated by the IUCN. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

koala

Iconic marsupial of eastern and southeastern Australia, koalas weigh up to 15 kg and spend up to 22 hours daily sleeping to conserve energy from their low-calorie eucalyptus leaf diet. Highly specialized to process toxic eucalyptus compounds that would kill most other mammals, they have gut microbiomes uniquely adapted for detoxification. Listed as Endangered in 2022, with populations decimated by chlamydia disease, habitat clearing, and climate change.