Impatiens pseudohamata Grey-Wilson

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

Habit

Perennial to 1.75 m. tall, glabrous; stems erect, sparsely branched, becoming rather woody and leafless below, ± 5–6 mm. in diameter at the most.

Leaves

Leaves spirally arranged; petiole 1.1–5.5 cm. long, slender; lamina lanceolate to lanceolate-elliptical, 8–12.2 cm. long, 3.5–5 cm. broad, the base somewhat attenuate into the petiole, the apex acuminate, acute; lateral veins 7–10 pairs; margin finely serrate-dentate, with many ± 2–3 mm. long fimbriae towards the base and extending on to the upper petiole.

Inflorescences

Inflorescence a 4–8(–many)-flowered subumbellate raceme, the flowers reddish purple or magenta with a whitish spur.

Peduncles

Peduncle erect, 6.8–7.6 cm. long.

Bracts

Bracts linear-lanceolate, 2–4 mm. long, subacute.

Pedicel

Pedicels 1.6–2.5 cm. long, slender, spreading at anthesis but becoming pendent in fruit.

Calyx

Lateral sepals ovate-lanceolate, ± 2 mm. long, subacute. Lower sepal narrowly navicular, 7–8 mm. long, 2–3 mm. deep, abruptly constricted into a 3.8–4.2 cm. long curved filiform spur.

Corolla

Dorsal petal obovate, 12–12.5 mm. long, 14–16 mm. broad, dorsally with a narrow crest terminating in a short acute point. Lateral united petals 14–15 mm. long; upper petal of each pair ± obovate, 12–13 mm. long, 9–10 mm. broad; lower petal of each pair oblong-elliptical, 13–15 mm. long, 8–9 mm. broad.

Ovary

Ovary glabrous.

Fruits

Fruit narrowly fusiform, 11–14 mm. long, glabrous.

Figures

Fig. 2/5, p. 4.

Habitat

In moist places in rather open forest; ± 2250 m.

Distribution

T6 known only from the type collection