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impatiens

  (ĭm-pā'shənz, -shəns) pronunciation
n.

Any of various plants of the genus Impatiens, which includes the jewelweed.

[Latin impatiēns, impatient (so called because the ripe pods burst open when touched). See impatient.]


 
 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: impatiens

Any of about 900 species of herbaceous plants in the genus Impatiens (balsam family), so named because the seedpod bursts when slightly touched. Garden balsam (I. balsamina), native to the tropics of Asia, is a favourite showy annual in U.S. gardens; its flowers are irregular, single or clustered, and of almost every colour but blue. Familiar related weeds in eastern North America are spotted jewelweed (I. biflora or I. capensis) and pale touch-me-not. Most impatiens have weak, hollow stems and require high moisture. Close relatives are geraniums and nasturtiums.

For more information on impatiens, visit Britannica.com.

 
Annuals Dictionary: Impatiens

Balsam family
Balsaminaceae

Im-pay'shens. Nearly 500 species of tender, succulent plants, widely distributed in Asia, tropical Africa, and North America.

Description
Simple leaves, alternate, opposite, or whorled. Flowers irregular, spurred, solitary or clustered in leaf axils.

How to Grow
Start I. Balsamina and I. Wallerana from seeds sown indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost at 70-75°F (21-24°C). Do not cover seeds with soil; they need light to sprout. Stretch clear plastic over the seed flat. Transplant seedlings to the garden or to containers 2 weeks after danger of frost is past. Both also propagated by cuttings. 'New Guinea' can only be started from cuttings or nursery-grown seedlings. All 3 species prefer warm weather.

Impatiens Balsamina
Garden Balsam ; Lady's Slipper . 24-30 in. (60-75 cm) tall, stiff, and erect. Flowers 1-2 in. (2.5-5.0 cm) wide, some very double or "camellia-flowered," in salmon-pink, old rose, scarlet, yellow, purple, or white. Subtropical India and China. Does well in sunny or lightly shaded gardens. Tender annual.

Impatiens'New Guinea'
Very showy, 1-2 ft. (30-60 cm) high. Leaves variegated. Flowers extra-large, red to pinkish purple, 2-2 Ɖ in. (5-6 cm) wide. New Guinea. Some varieties require full sun. Tender annual.

Impatiens Wallerana
Busy Lizzy ; Patient Lucy ; Patience Plant ; Sultana . Brittle, 1-2 ft. (30-60 cm) high. Flowers solitary or 2-3 on a short, slender stalk, 1-2 in. (2.5-5.0 cm) wide. Bright scarlet in original form, but hybrids are red, pink, orange, salmon, purple, white, or variegated. Tanzania to Mozambique. Where summers are hot, this species needs light to moderate shade. Good houseplant. Tender perennial grown as a tender annual.


 
Wikipedia: Impatiens
Impatiens
Himalayan Balsam
Himalayan Balsam
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Ericales
Family: Balsaminaceae
Genus: Impatiens
Species

See text
Impatiens namchabarwensis
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Impatiens namchabarwensis
Impatiens rosulata
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Impatiens rosulata
Impatiens parviflora
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Impatiens parviflora
Impatiens capensis
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Impatiens capensis

Impatiens is a genus of about 900-1000 species of flowering plants in the family Balsaminaceae. The genus has a wide distribution throughout the northern hemisphere and tropics, although they are not found in South America.

Some species are annual plants and produce flowers from early summer until the first frost, while perennial species, found in milder climates, can flower all year. They can exist both in, and out, of direct sunlight. Impatiens walleriana hybrids have commercial importance as garden plants with a yearly business volume of about US $230 million. This species of Impatiens were originally collected as weeds from Costa Rica, and bred through selection by Claude Hope. The original series of impatiens bred by Mr. Hope was the Elfin series, which has now been upgraded and known as the Super Elfin series.

Major common names for one or more species include Balsam, Jewelweed and Busy Lizzie.

The plant derives its scientific name Impatiens ("impatient") and the common name "touch-me-not" from the plant's seed pods. When the seed pods mature, they "explode" when touched, sending seeds several meters away. This mechanism is also known as "explosive dehiscence". See also Rapid plant movement.

Selected species
  • Impatiens acehensis
  • Impatiens arguta
  • Impatiens arriensii
  • Impatiens auricoma
  • Impatiens balfourii - Kashmir Balsam
  • Impatiens balsamina - Rose Balsam
  • Impatiens bicornuta
  • Impatiens campanulata
  • Impatiens capensis - Spotted Jewelweed, Orange Balsam
  • Impatiens celebica
  • Impatiens chinensis
  • Impatiens cristata
  • Impatiens dempoana
  • Impatiens dewildeana
  • Impatiens diepenhorstii
  • Impatiens edgeworthii
  • Impatiens eubotrya
  • Impatiens flaccida
  • Impatiens forbesii
  • Impatiens glandulifera - Himalayan Balsam, Policeman's Helmet
  • Impatiens gordonii
  • Impatiens grandis
  • Impatiens hawkeri - New Guinea impatiens
  • Impatiens heterosepala
  • Impatiens holstii
  • Impatiens javensis
  • Impatiens jerdoniae
  • Impatiens kilimanjari - Kilimanjaro Impatiens
  • Impatiens korthalsiana
  • Impatiens linearifolia
  • Impatiens malabarica
  • Impatiens marianae
  • Impatiens mirabilis
  • Impatiens namchabarwensis - Blue Diamond Impatiens
  • Impatiens niamniamensis - Parrot Plant, Congo Cockatoo
  • Impatiens noli-tangere - Touch-me-not Balsam
  • Impatiens oppositifolia
  • Impatiens pallida - Pale Jewelweed
  • Impatiens parviflora - Small Balsam
  • Impatiens petersiana
  • Impatiens platypetala
  • Impatiens pseudoviola
  • Impatiens psittacina
  • Impatiens pyrrhotricha
  • Impatiens repens - Ceylon Balsam
  • Impatiens rosulata
  • Impatiens scabrida
  • Impatiens sidikalangensis
  • Impatiens singgalangensis
  • Impatiens sodenii - Poor Man's Rhododendron
  • Impatiens sulcata
  • Impatiens sumatrana
  • Impatiens tapanuliensis
  • Impatiens teysmanni
  • Impatiens tinctoria
  • Impatiens walleriana - Busy Lizzie
  • Impatiens vitellina

Impatiens species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Dot Moth.

The balsam used in shampoos (Tolu balsam, or Balsam of Peru), is derived from the unrelated plant Myroxylon.

Diseases

Main article: List of impatiens diseases

Botanical References

Impatiens Sources

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Annuals Dictionary. Taylor's Guide for Annuals, by Norman Taylor, revised and edited by Gordon P. DeWolf, Jr. Copyright © 1986 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Impatiens".  Read more

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