Balsam

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Context

• Balsams (genus Impatiens) are in full bloom in Munnar.

Impatiens

About

• Impatiens is a genus of more than 1,000 species of flowering plants, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and the tropics.

Family

• Together with the genus Hydrocera (one species), Impatiens make up the family Balsaminaceae.

Common names

• Common names in North America include impatiens, jewelweed, touch-me-not, snapweed and patience.

Description

• Most Impatiens species are herbaceous annuals or perennials with succulent stems.
• Only a few woody species exist.
• Plant size varies, from five centimeters to 2.5 meters, depending on the species.
• Stems often form roots when they come into contact with the soil.
• The zygomorphic flowers of Impatiens are protandric (male becoming female with age).
• The scientific name Impatiens (Latin for "impatient") and the common name "touch-me-not" refer to the explosive dehiscence of the seed capsules.

Distribution

• The genus Impatiens occurs in Africa, Eurasia and North America. Two species (Impatiens turrialbana and Impatiens mexicana) occur in isolated areas in Central America (southern Mexico and Costa Rica). Most Impatiens species occur in the tropical and subtropical mountain forests in Africa, Madagascar, the Himalayas, the Western Ghats (southwest India) and southeast Asia.
• In Europe only a single Impatiens species (Impatiens noli-tangere) occurs naturally. However, several neophytic species exist.