Impatiens balfourii

Impatiens balfourii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Balsaminaceae
Genus:	Impatiens
Species:	I. balfourii
Binomial name
	Impatiens balfourii; Hook.f.
Synonyms
	Impatiens balfouri Hooker fil.; Impatiens mathildae Chiov. (incl.); Impatiens insignis Auct. non DC.; Impatiens insubrica Beauverd;

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Impatiens balfourii is a species of the genus Impatiens known by the common names Balfour's touch-me-not, poor man's orchid, and Kashmir balsam, belonging to the family Balsaminaceae.

[edit] Etymology

The genus Latin name Impatiens means impatient or intolerant and refers to the behavior of the fruits containing the seeds, that explode at the minimum touch (hence the common name Balfour's touch-me-not. The Latin epithet of the species balfourii derives from the Scottish botanist John Hutton Balfour (1808-1884), director of Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh.

[edit] Description

Close-up on a flower of Impatiens balfourii

This is an annual herb growing 15–120 centimetres (5.9–47 in) in height, its stem is glabrous, reddish, lined and very branched, with alternately arranged, oval to lance-shaped, toothed and stalked leaves up to 4 centimetres (1.6 in) long. The inflorescence is a raceme generally bearing 4 to 8 flowers. Each flower is about 2 centimetres (0.79 in) long, with one of its white sepals forming a long, thin spur, and two of its yellow-dotted lavender or pink petals extending from the mouth.

[edit] Reproduction

The flowers are hermaphrodite and pollinated by insects (entomogamy) or in the Americas by hummingbirds. The flowering period extends from July through September. The fruits are glabrous capsules about 20 millimetres (0.79 in) long and the seed are autochorously dispersed, as the ripe capsules explode at the slightest touch, throwing the seeds up to 6 metres (20 ft) away.

[edit] Distribution

It is native to the Himalayas, particularly Kashmir and surrounding areas, where it grows in mountains of 5,000 to 6,000 feet.^[1] It was brought back to England and many other European countries as a garden plant, and then it became popular in the San Francisco Bay Area and other parts of the United States.^[1] It can now be found growing wild as a garden escapee in Europe and along the Pacific coast and in Wisconsin,^[2] where it is well adapted to cool, wet sites.

[edit] Habitat

These plants occur along the banks of rivers, sides of roads and in wastelands. They prefer cool and moist areas, at an altitude of 100–600 metres (330–2,000 ft) above sea level.