Impatiens kilimanjari Oliv.

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

Habit

Straggling glabrous perennial 30–40 cm. tall; stems well branched, often rooting at the lower nodes.

Leaves

Leaves in verticils of 3–5, rarely opposite; petiole 0.9–3.6 cm. long, slender; lamina ovate or lanceolate, (1.4–)2–10.5 cm. long, (1–) 1.5–5.5 cm. broad, apex acute or shortly acuminate, base shortly cuneate; lateral veins 4–7 pairs; margin crenate-denticulate.

Inflorescences

Inflorescence 1-flowered; flowers red, the lateral united petals with central yellowish or whitish zones, the spur and dorsal petal sometimes greenish.

Peduncles

Peduncle 2–3.2 cm. long, ± upright.

Bracts

Bracts 1 to each peduncle, subulate, 3.5–4.5 mm. long.

Pedicel

Pedicels 1.7–2.2 cm. long, slender.

Calyx

Lateral sepals linear-lanceolate or narrowly-triangular, 4–6 mm. long, acute or shortly acuminate. Lower sepal narrowly bucciniform, 7–11 mm. long, with a slight constriction in the upper third, but gradually tapering in the distal two-thirds into an incurved spur, 23–29 mm. in length overall, apex rounded.

Corolla

Dorsal petal 8–10 mm. long, 4–6 mm. broad (not flattened), cucullate, dorsally with a narrow crest terminating in a short acute point. Lateral united petals 8–11 mm. long, the upper and lower petals subequal in size; upper petal transversely oblong or elliptic, 4.5–6 mm. long, 3–3.5 mm. broad; lower petal oblong, 5–7 mm. long, 2.5–4 mm. broad.

Ovary

Ovary glabrous.

Fruits

Fruit narrowly fusiform, 15 mm. long, 2 mm. broad.

Figures

Fig. 4/57, p. 8.

Habitat

In uplant rain-forest in deep shade, occasionally epiphytic on mossy tree trunks, more rarely growing in exposed upland grassland; 1850–3600 m.

Distribution

T2 known only from Kilimanjaro