- Family: Balsaminaceae A.Rich.
- Genus: Impatiens Riv. ex L.
Impatiens polyantha Gilg
- Genus: Impatiens Riv. ex L.
This species is accepted, and its native range is SW. & S. Tanzania to E. Zambia.
[FTEA]
Balsaminaceae, C. Grey-Wilson. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1993
- Habit
- Upright or rather straggling moderately branched perennial 40–80 cm. tall at the most; stems glabrous, rarely sparsely pubescent on the youngest parts.
- Leaves
- Leaves spirally arranged, sessile or with a glabrous to slightly pubescent petiole (1–)3–7 mm. long; lamina narrowly-oblong, oblong-lanceolate, elliptic, ovate or oblanceolate, 2.5–10(–12.5) cm. long, 1–4 cm. broad, the apex ± acute, rarely shortly acuminate, the base cuneate, usually glabrous but sometimes sparsely pubescent above or beneath; lateral veins 6–10(–12) pairs, especially prominent beneath; margin crenulate-denticulate.
- Flowers
- Flowers in fascicles of 2–5, sometimes solitary, usually borne on a very reduced, 1–4 mm. long, peduncle, white or pink.
- Bracts
- Bracts narrowly ovate, linear-lanceolate or subulate, 2–4 mm. long.
- Pedicel
- Pedicels 2–5.5 cm. long, slender, glabrous or slightly pubescent, ascending or horizontal in flower but becoming pendent in fruit.
- Calyx
- Lateral sepals ovate to ovate-triangular, 6–10 mm. long, 2.5–5 mm. broad, acute or shortly apiculate, usually glabrous, occasionally sparsely pubescent. Lower sepal shallowly to deeply navicular, 12–20 mm. long, 5–11 mm. deep, abruptly constricted into a short, 4–9(–10) mm. long, straight, curved or more rarely incurved spur, usually slightly swollen at the tip, glabrous or ± pubescent.
- Corolla
- Dorsal petal 9–15(–17) mm. long, 6–11(–13) mm. broad (unflattened!), cucullate, dorsally with a broad crest terminating in a short appendage. Lateral united petals 18–31 mm. long, with a small (± 2 mm.) rounded auricle along the inner margin where the two petals unite; upper petal ± 3/4 the size of the lower, oblong or semi-elliptic, 9–14 mm. long, 4–7 mm. broad; lower petal broadly and transversely oblong, elliptic or ovate, 10–18 mm. long, (6–)8–11 mm. broad, with a slight emargination along the inner margin.
- Ovary
- Ovary glabrous.
- Fruits
- Fruit broadly fusiform, 12–18 mm. long, 6–8 mm. broad, glabrous.
- Figures
- Fig. 3/48a–b, p. 6.
- Habitat
- In moist open places, generally upland grassland, but occasionally in thickets or open Brachystegia woodland, or along river banks; often in distrubed sites; 1400–2750 m.
- Distribution
- T7 T8
[FZ]
Balsaminaceae, E. Launert. Flora Zambesiaca 2:1. 1963
- Habit
- Upright or straggling perennial (?) herb, up to 80 cm. high or more; stems glabrous or rarely scattered-pilose, pale green or brownish, somewhat succulent.
- Leaves
- Leaves spirally arranged, sessile or very shortly petiolate; lamina 3·5–9 × 1–2·5 cm., oblong-lanceolate, rarely elliptic or oblanceolate, glabrous on both surfaces, pale green on the upper, greyish, silvery or glaucous below, chartaceous, apex acute, margin crenulate-denticulate, base cuneate (usually narrowly so); secondary nerves 8–12 pairs, somewhat prominent below.
- Flowers
- Flowers axillary, single or in pairs or in very few-flowered clusters, white; bracts up to 6 mm. long, lanceolate-triangular to nearly subulate; pedicels (1·5) 2·5–4 (5) cm. long, slender, usually glabrous.
- Calyx
- Lateral sepals 6–8 × 3·5–5 mm., ovate or ovate-triangular, acute and usually apiculate; posterior sepal 1·3–1·5 and 0·5–0·8 cm. deep (excluding the spur), broadly and obliquely funnel-shaped in outline, ± abruptly constricted into the spur, distally very acute; spur 6–9 (11) mm. long, c. 1 mm. thick, slightly incurved, cylindric or subconical, with an obtuse end, usually glabrous.
- Corolla
- Anterior petal 9–12 × 10–14 cm. (when flattened), helmet-shaped, dorsally broadly cristate (crest up to 3 mm. broad), shortly apiculate at the apex, apparently glabrous; lateral pair of united petals 20–27 mm. long, deeply 2-lobed, glabrous; anterior lobe 10–16 × 6–9 mm., transversely semi-elliptic; posterior lobe 1/2 to 3/4 the size of the anterior one, transversely oblique-elliptic to oblique-ovate.
- Ovary
- Ovary glabrous or very sparsely pilose.
- Fruits
- Capsule (not seen in a mature state) glabrous or somewhat pilose towards the apex.
- Seeds
- Seeds numerous.
Native to:
Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia
Impatiens polyantha Gilg appears in other Kew resources:
| Date | Reference | Identified As | Barcode | Type Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanzania | 38591.000 | |||
| Tanzania | 38682.000 | |||
| Tanzania | 38684.000 | |||
| Tanzania | 38687.000 | |||
| Fuller, K.A.P. [14], Tanzania | 39642.000 | |||
| Goetze, W. [688], Tanzania | K000419516 | Unknown type material | ||
| Brummitt, R.K. [10716], Malawi | Impatiens richardsiae | 25694.099 | ||
| Brummitt, R.K. [10690], Malawi | Impatiens richardsiae | 25694.133 |
First published in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 28: 425 (1900)
Accepted by
- Grey-Wilson, C. (1982). Flora of Tropical East Africa, Balsaminaceae: 1-76.
Literature
Kew Backbone Distributions
- Grey-Wilson, C. (1982). Flora of Tropical East Africa, Balsaminaceae: 1-76.
- Exell, A.W., Fernandes, A. & Wild, H. (eds.) (1963). Flora Zambesiaca 2(1): 1-351. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Flora of Tropical East Africa
- Grey-Wilson, Impat. Afr.: 171, fig. 109, pl. 35 (1980).
- Gilg in A. Engler, Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie 28: 425 (1900).
Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
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Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
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Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
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Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
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Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0