tcha
08/08/11, 06:20 PM
While some impatiens plants are so common that they are regarded as weeds, a few are so uncommon that you have to climb some of the world’s highest peaks just to get a glimpse of their stunning beauty.
Impatiens are members of the Balsaminaceae or balsam family. There are up to 1,000 species of these flowering plants widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and tropics. In different parts of the world they are known as jewelweeds, balsams, touch-me-nots and impatiens.
For years, the only impatiens flowers I know are what we call in the Philippines as the kamantigue, or garden balsam also known as rose balsam (Impatiens balsamina). More recently, I came to know the common single and double-petaled Busy Lizzie (Impatiens walleriana). These impatiens come in different colors including white, red, orange and pink. I didn’t realize that impatiens have so many species and that many of them are not only rare but are also beautifully fascinating-looking.
Impatiens arguta
http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010/03/30/76684453e7dbf072c3_1.jpg
image credit (http://www.flickr.com/photos/superfantastic/76684453/)
Look at this gorgeous bluish-lavender puffed-up flower. The bloom looks like a tiny floating purple parrot. Impatiens arguta are rare wildflowers found in the forests, thickets, grasslands, and along moist places of East Himalayas, from East Nepal to NE India, at altitudes 1800-3200 m. It is sometimes called Blue Dream or East Himalayan Balsam. Flower colors range from pink to purple red.
Impatiens kilimanjari
http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010/03/30/162_2.jpg
image credit (http://www.rucsacs.com/gallery/Kilimanjaro/162/)
Just how rare and exotic is Impatiens kilimanjari? It is named after the place where it can only be found—on the highest peak of Africa—Kilimanjaro (http://scienceray.com/earth-sciences/geology/the-volcanic-seven-summits/). Despite the flower’s tiny size of only an inch, they will not go un-noticed with their sea horse-like looks and vibrant pinkish-red colors with curved yellow to orange tails.
Impatiens niamniamensis
http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010/03/30/800pximpatiensniamniamensis7082_1.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Impatiens.niamniamensis.7082.jpg)
image credit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Impatiens.niamniamensis.7082.jpg)
Impatiens niamniamensis is an unusual-looking flower that will sure get people talking the first time they see it. The distinctive blooms are hooded with a hooked spur making them look like shrimps or bird beaks. The 1 ½ inch bright red and yellow flowers, with lime green hoods that pop up all over its stems makes it a sought-after plant. This tropical Africa native is sometimes called Congo cockatoo or parrot impatiens.
Impatiens paucidentata
http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010/03/30/800pximpatienspaucidentata28bgzurich2904_1.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Impatiens_paucidentata_%28BG_Zurich%29-04.JPG)
image credit (http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Impatiens_paucidentata_%28BG_Zurich%29-04.JPG)
The cool rainforests of Gabon and Uganda are known for its mountain gorillas. It is also where a rare and eye-catching gem of a flower called Impatiens paucidentata is found. The plant’s 2 inch chili look-alike blooms has a deep red body and curved tail, with a creamy-white throat and lime green hood. They can be seen growing along moist tree trunks and are the only known epiphytic (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/epiphytic+plant) impatiens.
Impatiens repens
http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010/03/30/repens_1.jpg
image credit (http://hortlog.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html)
Impatiens repens, or Golden Dragon impatiens came from the rainforests of Sri Lanka and is now believed to be extinct in the wild. This species is not only rare; it is also unusual in its bright red stems that cascades down to 4 feet or more that most people wouldn’t recognize it as impatiens. The leaves are tiny and rounded and the bright yellow blooms look like tiny birds flying around the plant.
Impatiens tinctoria
http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010/03/30/800pximpatienstinctoria1bume_1.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Impatiens_tinctoria1b.UME.jpg)
image credit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Impatiens_tinctoria1b.UME.jpg)
The beautiful orchid-like white blooms with red streaks of Impatiens tinctoria are big and fragrant, especially in the morning. At 2 inches wide, it is believed to be the largest blooms among all impatiens species. The red spur on its back reaches up to 5 inches long. This is another rare species that originated from the African rainforests.
http://gomestic.com/gardening/rare-exotic-impatiens-flowers/#ixzz1UUiK5G2O
Impatiens are members of the Balsaminaceae or balsam family. There are up to 1,000 species of these flowering plants widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and tropics. In different parts of the world they are known as jewelweeds, balsams, touch-me-nots and impatiens.
For years, the only impatiens flowers I know are what we call in the Philippines as the kamantigue, or garden balsam also known as rose balsam (Impatiens balsamina). More recently, I came to know the common single and double-petaled Busy Lizzie (Impatiens walleriana). These impatiens come in different colors including white, red, orange and pink. I didn’t realize that impatiens have so many species and that many of them are not only rare but are also beautifully fascinating-looking.
Impatiens arguta
http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010/03/30/76684453e7dbf072c3_1.jpg
image credit (http://www.flickr.com/photos/superfantastic/76684453/)
Look at this gorgeous bluish-lavender puffed-up flower. The bloom looks like a tiny floating purple parrot. Impatiens arguta are rare wildflowers found in the forests, thickets, grasslands, and along moist places of East Himalayas, from East Nepal to NE India, at altitudes 1800-3200 m. It is sometimes called Blue Dream or East Himalayan Balsam. Flower colors range from pink to purple red.
Impatiens kilimanjari
http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010/03/30/162_2.jpg
image credit (http://www.rucsacs.com/gallery/Kilimanjaro/162/)
Just how rare and exotic is Impatiens kilimanjari? It is named after the place where it can only be found—on the highest peak of Africa—Kilimanjaro (http://scienceray.com/earth-sciences/geology/the-volcanic-seven-summits/). Despite the flower’s tiny size of only an inch, they will not go un-noticed with their sea horse-like looks and vibrant pinkish-red colors with curved yellow to orange tails.
Impatiens niamniamensis
http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010/03/30/800pximpatiensniamniamensis7082_1.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Impatiens.niamniamensis.7082.jpg)
image credit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Impatiens.niamniamensis.7082.jpg)
Impatiens niamniamensis is an unusual-looking flower that will sure get people talking the first time they see it. The distinctive blooms are hooded with a hooked spur making them look like shrimps or bird beaks. The 1 ½ inch bright red and yellow flowers, with lime green hoods that pop up all over its stems makes it a sought-after plant. This tropical Africa native is sometimes called Congo cockatoo or parrot impatiens.
Impatiens paucidentata
http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010/03/30/800pximpatienspaucidentata28bgzurich2904_1.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Impatiens_paucidentata_%28BG_Zurich%29-04.JPG)
image credit (http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Impatiens_paucidentata_%28BG_Zurich%29-04.JPG)
The cool rainforests of Gabon and Uganda are known for its mountain gorillas. It is also where a rare and eye-catching gem of a flower called Impatiens paucidentata is found. The plant’s 2 inch chili look-alike blooms has a deep red body and curved tail, with a creamy-white throat and lime green hood. They can be seen growing along moist tree trunks and are the only known epiphytic (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/epiphytic+plant) impatiens.
Impatiens repens
http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010/03/30/repens_1.jpg
image credit (http://hortlog.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html)
Impatiens repens, or Golden Dragon impatiens came from the rainforests of Sri Lanka and is now believed to be extinct in the wild. This species is not only rare; it is also unusual in its bright red stems that cascades down to 4 feet or more that most people wouldn’t recognize it as impatiens. The leaves are tiny and rounded and the bright yellow blooms look like tiny birds flying around the plant.
Impatiens tinctoria
http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010/03/30/800pximpatienstinctoria1bume_1.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Impatiens_tinctoria1b.UME.jpg)
image credit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Impatiens_tinctoria1b.UME.jpg)
The beautiful orchid-like white blooms with red streaks of Impatiens tinctoria are big and fragrant, especially in the morning. At 2 inches wide, it is believed to be the largest blooms among all impatiens species. The red spur on its back reaches up to 5 inches long. This is another rare species that originated from the African rainforests.
http://gomestic.com/gardening/rare-exotic-impatiens-flowers/#ixzz1UUiK5G2O