Impatiens flaccida Arn.

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.

Flowering class: Dicot Habit: Herb

Flowering and fruiting: July-October

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—December.

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.

Annual herbs, about 20-50 cm tall. Stems erect or decumbent, slender, branched near the base sparingly, green with pinkish flush, glabrous, rooting in the lower nodes. Leaves alternate, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate-elliptic, about 3-8 x 1.2-3.5 cm across, base cuneate, margins crenate-dentate, apex acute to acuminate, lateral veins about 6-9 on either side of the midrib, minutely pubescent both above and beneath, petiole slender, slightly channeled above, about 1-3.5 cm long, with stipitate glands. Inflorescence resupinate, axillary, solitary or in fascicles, in the upper parts of the plant, glabrous. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, pink, pedicel slender, about 2-3 cm long, bracts inconspicous, sepals 3, imbricate, 2 lateral ones flat, small, ovate, usually green, posterior sepal (Lip) large, shallow navicular, about 8-10 mm long, spurred, spur filiform, incurved, about 1.5-2.5 cm long, upper standard petal, keeled, suborbicular-obcordate, apex acute, about 5-7 mm long, lateral ones (wings or alae), fused in pairs, bilobed, basal lobes and distal lobes. Stamens 5, 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, narrow fusiform or ellipsoid, about 1.5 cm long, glabrous. Seeds many, globose or oval, papillose, glabrous.

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

Notes: Moist deciduous forests

Western Ghats, altitude 2300-3300 m.

Moist deciduous forests

Not evaluated (IUCN).