Impatiens barbulata G.M.Schulze

Balsaminaceae, C. Grey-Wilson. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1993

Habit

Small perennial, glabrous except for the ovary, spreading and forming patches by means of slender few-branched rhizomes; stems 10–40 cm. tall, slender, sparsely branched or unbranched, rooting at the lower nodes.

Leaves

Leaves in verticils of 3–4, but often opposite or spirally arranged below on the same stem; petiole 5–24 mm. long, slender, with several 0.5–2 mm. long fimbriae crowded towards the top; lamina elliptical to elliptic-oblanceolate or elliptic-oblong, 2.2–9.5 cm. long, 1.1–4.1 cm. broad, slightly attenuate into the petiole at the base, the apex acuminate, acute; lateral veins 3–7 pairs; margin shallowly crenate-serrate, often obscurely so.

Inflorescences

Inflorescence a 1–4-flowered axillary subumbellate raceme; flowers rose-pink with a whitish spur.

Peduncles

Peduncle 11–31 mm. long, slender, suberect.

Bracts

Bracts linear-subulate, 2–3 mm. long, always more than the number of flowers in the inflorescence, only the lowest subtending flowers.

Pedicel

Pedicels 16–25 mm. long, slender.

Calyx

Lateral sepals triangular-lanceolate, 3–6 mm. long, subacute, somewhat asymmetrical. Lower sepal deeply and obliquely navicular, 10–13 mm. long, 4–9 mm. deep, abruptly constricted into a 25–38 mm. long curved filiform spur, which tapers gradually towards the tip.

Corolla

Lateral united petals 13–17 mm. long, with petals subequal in size; upper petal obovate, 11–14 mm. long, 7–9 mm. broad, somewhat asymmetrical, apiculate; lower petal obliquely obovate or suborbicular, 10–13 mm. long, 8–10 mm. broad, with a slight emargination or apiculum towards the top. Dorsal petal 10–12 mm. long, 15–16 mm. broad (when flattened), subcucullate, dorsally with a shallow crest terminating in a short acute point.

Ovary

Ovary globose, densely pubescent.

Fruits

Fruit broadly fusiform, 7–8 mm. long (immature), pubescent.

Figures

Fig. 2/15, p. 4.

Habitat

Dense upland rain-forest, in almost total shade; 1610–1900 m.

Distribution

T6 not known elsewhere