Impatiens glandulifera Royle

Impatiens species are annual, perennial or suffruticose herbs, terrestrial or sometimes epiphytic. Stems erect or procumbent, woody, herbaceous, succulent, stoloniferous or monoliform, usually rooting at lower nodes. Leaves radical or cauline, opposite, alternate, whorled or verticellate, variable, lanceolate-oblong to ovate-elliptic, base cuneate to obtuse, margins entire to crenate-dentate, apex obtuse to acuminate, petiolate or subsessile, exstipulate, sometimes with stipular gland at the base of petiole. Inflorescence resupinate, axillary subumbellate, racemes, fascicled or solitary. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, pedicellate, bracts persistent or caducous, sepals 3 or rarely 5, imbricate, 2 lateral ones flat, small, linear lanceolate-ovate, usually green, posterior sepal (Lip) large, petaloid, bag-shaped, navicular or saccate or spurred, petals 5, free, red, scarlet, purple, greenish or white, upper standard petal, flat, keeled or cucullate, entire or crested, usually lobed, lateral ones (wings or alae), fused in pairs, entire or lobed, sometimes with slender appendage at the base, Stamens 5, alternating with petals, free or fused towards the apex, connate or sub-connate, somewhat like a ring surrounding the style and stigma, filaments broad and short, anthers bi-locular. Ovary 5 locular, superior, oblong-ovoid, ovules many, 1 seriate in each cell, style 1, very short or absent, stigma 5 celled, sessile. Fruit indehiscent, capsule, often asymmetrical, swollen in the middle, loculicidally dehiscing by 5 valves, springing away elastically from axis, glabrous or hairy. Seed flattened or oval, smooth or tuberculate, glabrous or hairy, albumen absent.

Impatiens species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: July—September.

Seeds primarily dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, may be later by zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Perennial herbs, about 1-2 m tall. Stems robust, erect, simple or branched, succulent, greenish, glabrous. Leaves opposite verticellate or ternate, lanceolate-elliptic to oblong, about 6-15 x 2.5-7 cm across, base rounded to attenuate, margins crenate-dentate with few filiform appendages, apex deeply acute to acuminate, lateral veins about 6-9 on either side of the midrib, glabrous minutely pubescent both above and beneath, petiole slender, about 1.5-5 cm long, with stipitate glands. Inflorescence resupinate, axillary or subterminal umbels or racemes, peduncles stout, up to 9 cm tall, glabrous. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, pink to reddish purple, pedicel slender, glabrous, about 0.5-3 cm long, bracts lanceolate-ovate, about 4-8 mm long, sepals 3, imbricate, 2 lateral ones flat, small, ovate, glabrous, about 5-8 x 3-5 mm across, with appendage, about 1 mm long, posterior sepal (Lip) large, petaloid, bucciniform, about 1.2-2 x 1-1.6 cm across, spurred, spur filiform, suddenly constricted, incurved, about 3-5 mm long, petals 5, upper standard petal, keeled, suborbicular-obcordate, dorsally crested, apex shallow emarginated, about 1 x 1.5 cm across, lateral ones (wings or alae), fused in pairs, bilobed, about 1.3-1.6 x 0.6-0.8 cm across, basal lobes ovate, distal lobes elliptic oblong, about thrice the length of basal lobes. Stamens 5, anthers bi-locular. Ovary 5 locular. Fruit indehiscent, capsule, obovate, about 5-13 x 2-8 mm across, apex beaked about 1 cm long, glabrous. Seeds many, subglobose or oval, rugose, albumen absent.

Impatiens species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus and fungi, affecting leaves, fruits and roots.

Damp places and along streams of Himalayas, altitude 2000-3000 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Cultivated as ornamental, seeds are edible.