Impatiens mildbraedii Gilg

Balsaminaceae, C. Grey-Wilson. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1993

Habit

Low procumbent or rather straggling perennial; stems thin, rooting at the lower nodes, to 40(–50) cm. long, though often less, simple or sparsely branched, glabrous or finely pubescent at first, but soon becoming glabrescent.

Leaves

Leaves spirally arranged; petiole (0.1–)0.4–2.1 cm. long, slender; lamina elliptical to ovate-lanceolate or broadly ovate, 1.5–6.2 cm. long, 0.8–2.7 cm. broad, the base rounded or somewhat attenuate, the apex acute or acuminate, glabrous or sometimes sparsely pubescent above and/or beneath; lateral veins 4–8 pairs; margin crenulate or ± denticulate.

Inflorescences

Inflorescence a 2–4-flowered subumbellate raceme; flowers small, pale pink or violet-pink.

Peduncles

Peduncle (0.5–)0.7–2.8 cm. long, slender, glabrous.

Bracts

Bracts linear-lanceolate to subulate, 2–4 mm. long, glabrous.

Pedicel

Pedicels 1–1.6 cm. long, slender, glabrous.

Calyx

Lateral sepals 2, linear-lanceolate, ± 3 mm. long, acute. Lower sepal shallowly navicular, 4–6.5 mm. long, abruptly constricted into a 6–13 mm. long slender curved filiform spur, scarcely or not swollen at the tip, glabrous throughout.

Corolla

Dorsal petal 4–5 mm. long, 2.5–3.5 mm. broad, semi-cucullate, dorsally with a narrow crest terminating in a short semi-acute point. Lateral united petals 10–15 mm. long; upper petal of each pair narrow oblong-reniform, 5–6 mm. long, 1.5–2 mm. broad, entire; lower petal of each pair suborbicular to broadly elliptical, 8–11 mm. long, 4.5–6 mm. broad, rather asymmetrical, distally drawn out into a short obtuse appendage.

Ovary

Ovary glabrous.

Fruits

Fruit narrowly fusiform, ± 8 mm. long and 2 mm. broad.