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Impatiens obesa

Overview

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Endangered

Threat status

Interesting Facts

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Description

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Family Balsaminaceae

Herbs annual or perennial [rarely epiphytic or subshrubs ]. Stems erect or procumbent , usually succulent, often rooting at lower nodes. Leaves simple , alternate, opposite, or verticillate , not stipulate , or sometimes with stipular glands at base of petiole , petiolate or sessile, pinnately veined, margin serrate to nearly entire, teeth often glandular-mucronate. Flowers bisexual , protandrous, zygomorphic, resupinate to through 180° in axillary or subterminal racemes or pseudo-umbellate inflorescences, or not pedunculate , fascicled or solitary. Sepals 3(or 5) ; lateral sepals free or connate , margins entire or serrate; lower sepal (lip) large, petaloid , usually navicular , funnelform , saccate , or cornute , tapering or abruptly constricted into a nectariferous spur broadly or narrowly filiform , straight, curved , incurved , or ± coiled , swollen at tip , or pointed , rarely 2-lobed, rarely without spur. Petals 5, free, upper petal (standard ) flat or cucullate , small or large, often crested abaxially, lateral petals free or united in pairs (wing ) . Stamens 5, alternating with petals, connate or nearly so into a ring surrounding ovary and stigma, falling off in one piece before stigma ripens; filaments short, flat with a scalelike appendage inside; anthers 2-celled, connivent, opening by a slit or pore . Gynoecium 4- or 5-carpellate, syncarpous ; ovary superior, 4- or 5-loculed, each locule with 2 to many anatropous ovules ; style 1, very short or ± absent; stigmas 1-5. Fruit an indehiscent berry, or a 4- or 5-valved loculicidal fleshy capsule, usually dehiscing elastically. Seeds dispersed explosively from opening valves , without endosperm; testa smooth or tuberculate .

Two genera and more than 900 species: mainly in tropical and subtropical Africa, some species in temperate Asia, Europe, and North America; two genera and 228 species (187 endemic, two introduced ) in China; three additional species (all endemic) are of uncertain placement.

All but one of the species in the family belong to Impatiens. The unispecific Hydrocera is confined to India and SE Asia.[1]

Genus Impatiens

Morphological characters are the same as those of the family , except: lateral petals always united in pairs into lateral, united petals; fruit a fleshy , explosive capsule; seeds often dispersed elastically from valves when ripe .

More than 900 species: tropical and subtropical mountains of the E hemisphere, some species in temperate Asia, Europe, and North America; 227 species (187 endemic, two introduced ) in China; three additional species (all endemic) of uncertain placement.

Taxonomically, Impatiens is a very difficult group. The stem is usually fleshy and succulent, making collected specimens difficult to dry and conserve. The texture of the sepals and petals is very delicate, extremely thin and hyaline . In dried specimens, all of the flower parts are often plicate and coalesced . Although it is difficult to separate and reconstruct the flower parts, determining the shapes and sizes of the sepals and petals, and apices of the anthers (i.e. , obtuse or acute), is necessary for identification. To identify and describe every species exactly, we removed flowers from specimens, immersed them in water, and dissected them under a microscope to observe their flower and anther characters clearly. This process is not only time-consuming but also uncertain of success.[2]

Habitat

Biome: Terrestrial [3].

Taxonomy

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Notes

Publishing author : Hook.f. Publication : Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Ser. IV , x . 242 (1908).

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Impatiens

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 170 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

I. aurella (Pale-Yellow Jewel-Weed) · I. auricoma 'Jungle Gold' (Impatiens) · I. balfourii (Balfour's Touch-Me-Not) · I. balsamina (Balsam) · I. balsamina 'Blackberry Trifle' (Blackberry Trifle Garden Balsam) · I. balsamina 'Camellia Blackberry Trifle' (Balsam) · I. balsamina 'Camellia Flowered Mix' (Balsam) · I. balsamina 'Camellia Peppermint Stick' (Balsam) · I. balsamina 'Peppermint Stick' (Peppermint Stick Garden Balsam) · I. capensis (Jewelweed) · I. cinnabarina (Impatiens) · I. ecalcarata (Spurless Touch-Me-Not) · I. edgeworthii (Impatiens) · I. flanaganae (Impatiens) · I. glandulifera (Himalayan Balsam) · I. glandulifera f. pallidiflora (Ornamental Jewelweed) · I. glandulifera 'Wine Red' (Policemans Helmet) · I. grandis 'Rosa' (Impatiens) · I. hawkeri var. Sonic Light Lavender (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. hians (Impatiens) · I. kilimanjari (Impatiens) · I. mirabilis (Impatiens) · I. niamniamensis (Congo Cockatoo) · I. niamniamensis 'Hare's Hybrid' (Congo Cockatoo) · I. niamniamensis 'King Congo' (Congo Cockatoo) · I. niamniamensis 'Pink Princess' (Congo Cockatoo) · I. niamniamensis 'Queen Congo' (Congo Cockatoo) · I. niamniamensis 'Renata' (Congo Cockatoo) · I. noli-tangere (Western Jewel-Weed) · I. noli-tangere biflora (Western Touch-Me-Not) · I. oliveri (Oliver's Touch-Me-Not) · I. omeiana (Busy Lizzie) · I. pallida (Pale Jewel Weed) · I. parviflora (Small Flower Touch-Me-Not) · I. parviflora nevskii (Smallflower Touchmenot) · I. repens (Balsam) · I. sodenii (Poor Mans Rhododendron) · I. sodenii 'Alba' (Poor Mans Rhododendron) · I. stenantha (Impatiens) · I. textori (Impatiens) · I. textori f. pallescens (Impatiens) · I. tinctoria (Impatiens) · I. walleriana (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana Fiesta Olé Cherry (Fiesta Ole Cherry Double Impatiens) · I. walleriana 'Accent Bright Eyes' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Accent Burgundy' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Accent Cranberry Punch Mix' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Accent Lavender Blue' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Accent Mystic Mix' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Accent Pink' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Accent Red' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Accent Salmon' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Accent Star Mix' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Accent Violet' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Accent White' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Blitz Mix' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Bruno Orange' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Butterfly Cherry' (Cherry Impatiens) · I. walleriana 'Dazzler Orange' (Orange Impatiens) · I. walleriana 'Fiesta Apple Blossom' (Double Impatiens) · I. walleriana 'Fiesta Lavender Orchid' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Fiesta Ole Rose' (Fiesta Ole Rose Double Impatiens) · I. walleriana 'Fiesta Salmon Sunrise' (Double Impatiens) · I. walleriana 'Fiesta Salsa Red' (Double Impatiens) · I. walleriana 'Fiesta White' (Double Impatiens) · I. walleriana 'Jellybean Coral with Blue Eyes' (Coral With Blue Eye Impatiens) · I. walleriana'Jellybean Red' (Red Impatiens) · I. walleriana'Jellybean Rose' (Rose Impatiens) · I. walleriana'Kokomo Petite Orange' (Petite Orange Impatiens) · I. walleriana'Little Lizzy Orange Nova' (Orange Nova Impatiens Impatiens) · I. walleriana 'Mosaic Mix' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Shady Lady Bride' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Shady Lady Burgundy' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Stardust Mix' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Super Elfin Swirl' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Swirl Coral' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Swirl Mixed' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Swirl Pink' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Tempo Crystal Mix' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Tempo Lilac' (Busy Lizzy) · I. walleriana 'Tempo Pastel Mix' (Busy Lizzy) · I. x hawkeri (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. x hawkeri 'Celebration Red' (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. x hawkeri 'Harmony Light Orchid' (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. x hawkeri 'Harmony Raspberry Cream' (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. x hawkeri 'Harmony Violet' (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. x hawkeri 'Infinity Blushing Lilac' (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. x hawkeri 'Infinity Cherry Red' (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. x hawkeri 'Infinity Dark Pink' (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. x hawkeri 'Infinity Dark Salmon Glow' (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. x hawkeri 'Infinity Lavender' (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. x hawkeri 'Infinity Light Purple' (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. x hawkeri 'Infinity Light Salmon' (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. x hawkeri 'Infinity Lilac' (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. x hawkeri 'Infinity Orange' (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. x hawkeri 'Infinity Orange Frost' (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. x hawkeri 'Infinity Pink' (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. x hawkeri 'Infinity Pink Frost' (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. x hawkeri 'Infinity Pink Kiss' (New Guinea Impatiens) · I. x hawkeri 'Infinity Red' (New Guinea Impatiens)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Yilin Chen, Shinobu Akiyama & Hideaki Ohba "Balsaminaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 12 Page 43. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. "Impatiens". in Flora of China Vol. 12 Page 43. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. China Plant Specialist Group 2004. Impatiens obesa. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 01 February 2012. [back]
Last Revised: 7/22/2012