[NTK]
Taylor, N. & Zappi, D. (2009). Neotropical Balsaminaceae.
- Morphology
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Description
Herbaceous, semi- succulent , erect , glabrous plants, never woody . Leaves generally petiolate , with two distal glands , venation pinnate , margin entire to variously crenate or dentate , leaf-blades fleshy when alive, drying membranaceous; stipules absent. Inflorescences of axillary small cymes or fascicles, or flowers solitary. Flowers hermaphrodite , with bilateral symmetry , hypogynous, calyx (3-)5- merous , lobes fused and forming a nectar -secreting spur, corolla 5- merous , lobes fused, showy, brightly coloured, white, pink, salmon, red or mauve; stamens 5, minute, filaments and anthers connate into a calyptra above gynoecium , anthers dehiscing longitudinally; ovary superior , 5-locular, with many ovules with axillary placentation. Fruita fleshy capsule , opening by explosive longitudinal dehiscence with valves curling up, 10-20-seeded; seeds generally rounded , testa smooth, matt, brown, embryo straight, endosperm lacking or little.
- Distribution
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Distribution in the Neotropics
- Introduced into the Neotropics, represented by a single species, Impatiens walleriana Hook. f., very widespread in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil and known as 'Maria Sem Vergonha'. Other species cultivated as ornamentals.
- Diagnostic
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Notable genera and distinguishing features
n.a.
Other important characters- Plants herbaceous.
- Semi-succulent.
- Stemtranslucent.
- Flowers showy with bilateral symmetry.
- Filaments and anthers fused over gynoecium forming a calyptra.
- Capsule explosively dehiscent with valves curling up.
- Differs from Begoniaceae by hermaphrodite flowers and symmetric leaves.
- From many other herbaceous plants by the particular arrangement of its stamens over the gynoecium, which apparently avoids self-pollination.
- General Description
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Status
- A few species cultivated in gardens, I. walleriana naturalized in Eastern Brazil.
- Placed within the Ericales, together with Marcgraviaceae (APG II, 2003).
- 1: Impatiens L.
- Literature
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Important literature
APG II, 2003. An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG II. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 141(4): 399-436.
[FZ]
Balsaminaceae, E. Launert. Flora Zambesiaca 2:1. 1963
- Morphology General Habit
- Herbs, often with a suffrutescent habit, sometimes epiphytic, sometimes aquatic, glabrous or with an indumentum of simple hairs; stems herbaceous, succulent or rarely woody
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves simple, petiolate or sessile, verticillate or opposite or spirally arranged, pinnately veined with margins crenulate or serrate or denticulate and often with glanduliferous (tentacle-like) hairs; exstipulate or with stipular glands
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Inflorescences usually axillary, more rarely of terminal racemes or pseudumbels or fascicles, or flowers solitary
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers bisexual, sometimes cleistogamous (often in certain species with both normal and cleistogamous ones in the same inflorescence), always zygomorphic
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Sepals 3, rarely 5, deciduous, imbricate; the posterior one (apparently anterior in position by resupination) petaloid, large, funnel-shaped, obliquely navicular or bucciniform, nearly always with a nectariferous spur; the lateral ones usually small, green or coloured
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals 5; the anterior one (apparently posterior in position in the mature flower) always large, flat or helmet-shaped, often dorsally carinate; the 4 lower ones usually connate in lateral pairs, very rarely free, usually deeply 2-lobed, rarely with the posterior lobe reduced to a small auricle
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
- Stamens 5, alternating with the petals; filaments flattened, connate above, closely attached to the ovary; anthers 2-thecous, connate or coherent, thus forming a crown round the ovary
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
- Ovary superior, of 5 carpels, 5-locular, with axile placentation; ovules pendulous, anatropous, 3-many in a row on each placenta; style 1, usually very short; stigmas 1–5
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit a 5-valved loculicidal capsule, with the valves opening elastically and coiling, rarely a berry (in the Asiatic genus Hydrocera)
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds without endosperm; embryo straight
[FWTA]
Balsaminaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:1. 1954
- Morphology General Habit
- Succulent herbs; leaves alternate or opposite, simple, penninerved; stipules absent
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers zygomorphic, hermaphrodite, brightly coloured, solitary to subumbellate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Sepals 3, rarely 5, coloured, imbricate, unequal, the lowermost hollowed out into a spur
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals 3, the upper one outside, usually erect, concave, the lateral ones often 2-lobed
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
- Stamens 5; filaments short and broad; anthers 2-celled, connate around the ovary
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
- Ovary superior, 5-celled, with axile placentas; stigmas 1–5, more or less sessile; ovules numerous
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit a succulent capsule, opening elastically into 5 twisted valves
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds without endosperm and with straight embryo
[FTEA]
Balsaminaceae, C. Grey-wilson. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1993
- Morphology General Habit
- Annual or perennial herbs, sometimes with a tuberous or rhizomatous rootstock, occasionally subshrubby, sometimes epiphytic or semi-aquatic, usually growing in moist places in partial or complete shade, but never in dry places; stems usually succulent, rarely woody below, glabrous or pilose, upright or procumbent, often rooting at the lower nodes
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves simple, petiolate to sometimes sessile, spirally arranged, opposite or verticillate, pinnately veined, glabrous or pilose (hairs simple, multicellular); margins crenate, dentate or serrate, the teeth often with glanduliferous appendages, these sometimes fimbriate or filiform towards the base of the lamina; petiole occasionally with short capitate glands or fimbriae (extra-floral nectaries), usually in the upper half; exstipulate or with simple or branched glandular stipule-like structures
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers (fig. 1) bisexual, zygomorphic, resupinate through 180°, in simple or pseudoumbellate racemes forming axillary, rarely subterminal, inflorescences, or flowers often epedunculate, fascicled or solitary; bracts entire, rarely toothed; bracteoles occasionally present
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Sepals 3, rarely 5, the lateral ones small, entire or toothed, the lower one (lower by resupination) large, navicular, funnel-shaped or saccate, tapering or abruptly constricted into a nectariferous spur which may be short- or long-filiform, straight, curved or incurved, or ± coiled, swollen at the tip or pointed, rarely bilobed or digitately lobed, often coloured
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals 5, usually coloured, sometimes white, thin and sappy; the dorsal one (dorsal by resupination) small or large, flat or cucullate, often crested dorsally; lower petals free or united into lateral pairs at or below the middle (the lateral-united petals), the petals of each pair overlapping or with a narrow or wide sinus between them, the upper petals bilobed, emarginate or entire, as large as the lower petals or smaller, sometimes reduced to a tiny lobe, the lower petals seldom reduced, usually large or showy, bilobed, emarginate or entire, sometimes asymmetrically bilobed, the inner lobe occasionally drawn out into a long tapering appendage, sometimes emarginate along the inner margin
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
- Stamens 5, alternating with the petals, connate or subconnate into a ring surrounding the ovary and stigma, falling off in one piece before the stigma ripens
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
- Ovary superior, 5-locular, with exile placentation; ovules anatropous, 3–many; style 1, very short or ± absent; stigmas 1–5
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit a berry or a 5-valved loculicidal fleshy explosive capsule, the valves opening and coiling elastically to expel the seeds, glabrous or variously pubescent
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seed without endosperm, the testa smooth, warted or with simple, 1–many celled, hairs
Balsaminaceae A.Rich. appears in other Kew resources:
First published in Dict. Class. Hist. Nat. [Bory] 2: 173. 1822 [31 Dec 1822] (1822)
Accepted by
- APG IV (2016) http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/boj.12385
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Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
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Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
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Flora of West Tropical Africa
Flora of West Tropical Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
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Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
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Neotropikey
Milliken, W., Klitgard, B. and Baracat, A. (2009 onwards), Neotropikey - Interactive key and information resources for flowering plants of the Neotropics.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0