Impatiens pseudozombensis Grey-Wilson

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

Habit

Low perennial herb with rather thin decumbent stems to 70 cm. tall, though generally less; stems moderately branched, rooting at the lower nodes, finely pubescent when young but soon becoming glabrescent.

Leaves

Leaves spirally arranged; petiole 0.5–3 cm. long, slender; lamina ovate to lanceolate-elliptic or lanceolate, 2.7–5.6(–7) cm. long, 1.3–3(–4) cm. broad, the base somewhat attenuate into the petiole, the apex acuminate, finely pubescent above and beneath; lateral veins 5–8 pairs; margin finely serrate to serrate-dentate, with several ± 1 mm. long fimbriae towards the base.

Flowers

Flowers epedunculate, solitary or occasionally paired, magenta-pink to mauvish or purplish, generally with a white spot on either side towards the base of the lateral united petals, the sepals whitish.

Bracts

Bracts subulate, ± 2 mm. long, inconspicuous.

Pedicel

Pedicels 2.4–3.6 cm. long, slender, sparsely pubescent.

Calyx

Lateral sepals linear-lanceolate, 4–6 mm. long, pubescent. Lower sepal shallowly and obliquely navicular, 8–10 mm. long, 3–4 mm. deep, abruptly constricted into a 19–27 mm. long curved filiform spur, sparsely pubescent overall, or the spur glabrous.

Corolla

Dorsal petal broadly obovate or semiorbicular, 7–9 mm. long, 10–12 mm. broad, emarginate, dorsally with a shallow crest terminating in a short acute point, pubescent towards the base and along the crest. Lateral united petals 10–12 mm. long; upper petal of each pair oblong, 9–10 mm. long, 5–7 mm. broad; lower petal of each pair transversely semi-elliptic, 7.5–8 mm. long, 4.5–7.5 mm. broad.

Ovary

Ovary glabrous.

Fruits

Fruit narrowly fusiform, 13–15 mm. long, 2–2.5 mm. broad, glabrous.

Figures

Fig. 2/28, p. 4.

Habitat

Along upland rain-forest fringes, banks, along river and stream margins, occasionally on marshy ground; 1800–2100 m.

Distribution

T7 not known elsewhere