Impatiens psittacina
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| Impatiens psittacina | |
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| Hooker's illustration | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Balsaminaceae |
| Genus: | Impatiens |
| Species: | I. psittacina |
| Binomial name | |
| Impatiens psittacina Hook.f. |
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Impatiens psittacina, known variously as the "parrot flower" or "parrot balsam" is a species of balsam from Southeast Asia that was described by the botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker and was noted for its flowes that resemble a "flying cockatoo". It is known from Thailand, Burma and parts of India.[1]
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[edit] History
A balsam, Impatiens psittacina, or parrot flower, is a very rare impatiens species discovered in the Shan States of Upper Burma by A.H. Hildebrand, a British official. Seeds of it were presented to the Royal Gardens (Kew) in 1899 and it flowered in 1900 and a description was published in 1901 by Joseph Dalton Hooker.[2]
The specimen in Kew did not set seed but the capsules are said not to explode and disperse seeds as in many Impatiens.
The species grows in the wild in a small region of north Thailand (near Chiang Mai), Burma, and in the north-east Indian state of Manipur. It is called the parrot flower because its flower bears a resemblance to a parrot in flight when viewed from the side.
[edit] Description
The plant is erect and branches profusely and grows compactly to a height of about half a metre. Like other Impatiens species it has thick stems, the leaves have a serrulate margin. The flower is light purple and carmine red. The lateral sepals are orbicular and light green. The lower sepal is bulbous and narrows into a hooked spur tipped in carmine. The dorsal petal is orbicular and hooded while the lateral united petals are long.[1]
This species of Impatiens is known in Thai as "Dork Nok Khaew" which translates to "Flower Bird Parrot".[citation needed]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Botanical Authorship
- Parrot Flower
- Exotic RainForest
- Le Jardin (1902)
- Scans of the original description
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