Impatiens edgeworthii Hook. fil.

One of our commonest balsams, gregarious in shady and open places from 1800-3000 m. Morphologically very variable. The type specimen (K!) differs from our plants in the subserrate leaves, larger lateral sepals (up to c. 8 mm) and the gland tipped bracts. Small flowered forms of this species (spur + lower sepal 10-13 mm long), often more branched and with subserrate leaves, occur frequently with normal plants. Col. Gatacre’s, plants (K!) from Dir are under various manuscript names such as Impatiens gatacrei, Impatiens mirgagensis, which Hook. f. never published. They all appear to be Impatiens edgeworthii Hook. f., s1. and are provisionally placed here; as the flower colour is not given, at least one specimen (Gatacre 17083, K) however may be referable to Impatiens lemannii Hook. f.

Annual 25-60 cm tall. Stem erect, branched. Leaves 40-180 x 15-75 mm, elliptic-ovate, acuminate, crenate to crenate-dentate, glandular towards the base; petiole 15-50 mm. Racemes subterminal. Peduncles slender, 25-105 mm. Flowers yellow, streaked red in the throat, 25-36 mm. Pedicel 10-13 mm. Bracts broad ovate, 1.5-3 mm long, apiculate, keeled. Lateral sepals green, subcordate to broadly ovate, 2-4.5 mm long, apiculate; lower sepal infundibuliform, gradually narrowed into a recurved spur, 20-30 (-33) mm long. Anterior petal broad orbicular, 7-8 x 12-15 mm, crested, apex bibbed; lateral united petals 18-20 mm long, upper ones prolonged obliquely upwards, yellow-white. Capsule 23 cm long, broadly linear, erect. Seeds oblong, c. 3 mm long, longitudinally rugose.

Kashmir, Nepal.

Distribution: NW. Himalayas; Hazara, Kaghan vy. and eastward to Kashmir.

Fl. Per.: July-September.