Impatiens scabrida DC.

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: September—October.

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 30-120 cm tall. Stems erect, purplish tinged near the base, usually branched, glabrous or sparsely hairy. Leaves alternate, ovate-lanceolate to ovate oblong, about 5-18 x 2-8.5 cm across, base attenuate, margins serrate-dentate with few filiform appendages and with glands on apices of crenatures, apex subacute to acuminate, lateral veins about 7-11 on either side of the midrib, green above and paler beneath, pubescent both above and beneath, petiole with two sessile glands near the base, about 0.5-2 cm long. Inflorescence resupinate, axillary, in the leaf axils about 1-3 flowered fascicles, peduncles short, pubescent. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, yellow, about 3 cm across, pedicel slender, pubescent, ascending, about 1-2 cm long, bracts linear, persistent, sepals 3, imbricate, 2 lateral ones flat, small, ovate, apex acuminate, about 7 x 4 mm long, posterior sepal (Lip) large, petaloid, navicular, about 1-1.4 cm across, spurred, spur abruptly constricted, curved, about 1.3-3.5 cm long, upper standard petal, keeled or cucullate, suborbicular-obcordate, apex acute with pointed tip, lateral ones (wings or alae), fused in pairs, bilobed, about 2.2 cm long, basal lobes broadly obovate, about 1.2 x 0.8 cm across, distal lobes narrow oblong, about 1-1.2 cm across. Fruit indehiscent, capsule, narrow fusiform or linear, about 3-5 cm long, glabrous. Seeds many, globose or ovoid.

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

Himalayas, altitude about 2200-3300 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).