Impatiens nana Engl. & Warb.

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

Habit

Weakly branched annual or? perennial herb, generally 30–80 cm. tall; stems green or reddish, rooting at the lower nodes, usually rather densely pubescent at the apices but gradually glabrescent with age.

Leaves

Leaves spirally arranged, subopposite or in verticils of 3–4 (but then the lower leaves always spirally arranged), sessile, subsessile or the lower leaves with a petiole 0.2–2(–3.2) cm. long; lamina ovate to elliptic-lanceolate or narrowly oblanceolate, 2–9.7 cm. long, 1.3–5.6 cm. broad, the base cuneate to somewhat attenuate, the apex acute to shortly acuminate, sparsely pubescent above, more densely so beneath, especially along the midrib and lateral veins; lateral veins 5–11 pairs; margin serrate to crenate-denticulate.

Flowers

Flowers axillary, solitary or in fascicles of 2–3, epedunculate or very occasionally with a very short peduncle ± 1–2 mm. long; flowers pink to purplish, the lateral united petals with a dark magenta spot towards the base, the spur whitish.

Bracts

Bracts subulate, 1.5–5 mm. long, pubescent, inconspicuous.

Pedicel

Pedicels 2.2–5.2 cm. long, slender, usually pubescent.

Calyx

Lateral sepals linear-lanceolate, 4–5 mm. long, 1–2 mm. broad, acute or shortly acuminate, pubescent. Lower sepal navicular, 7–10 mm. long, 3.5–5 mm. deep, abruptly constricted into a 14–20(–25) mm. long curved filiform spur, pubescent.

Corolla

Dorsal petal suborbicular, 8–11 mm. long, 12–16 mm. broad, emarginate, dorsally with a narrow crest terminating in a short acute point, pubescent on the crest. Lateral united petals 15–21 mm. long; upper petal of each pair ± ovate or suborbicular to oblong, 9–12 mm. long, 7–9 mm. broad, entire; lower petal of each pair transversely oblong or suborbicular, 6–9 mm. long, 7–10 mm. broad, distally drawn out in a 4–6 × 2–3.5 mm. ligulate appendage.

Ovary

Ovary usually finely pubescent.

Fruits

Fruit narrowly fusiform, 14–23 mm. long, 2–4 mm. broad, usually but not always pubescent.

Figures

Fig. 3/33, p. 6.

Habitat

Growing in moist, usually shaded places in upland rain-forest along forest fringes, road and track sides, river margins, by cultivated ground and in marshy places; 450–3000 m.

Distribution

K7 T2 T3 T6 T7 not known elsewhere