View source for Impatiens

{{SPlantbox
|familia=Balsaminaceae
|genus=Impatiens
|common_name=Balsam, Touch-me-not, Snapweed, Jewelweed, Busy Lizzie, Patience plant
|habit=herbaceous
|origin=Tropics of N Hemisphere
|origin_ref=Wikipedia
|lifespan=perennial, annual
|water=moderate
|features=flowers, naturalizes
|Temp Metric=°F
|sunset_zones=vary by species
|image=Impatiens-double-IMG 6711.JPG
|image_width=240
|image_caption=Impatiens with double flowers
}}
There are hundreds of species of Impatiens, though four are much more commonly grown in gardens than the rest{{SSN}}.  Most are annuals, or perennials treated as annuals{{SSN}}.  They are grown for their flowers, which continue until frost.  When the seed capsules are ripe, they explode upon being lightly touched, shooting little seeds around.{{SSN}}  Stems are usually succulent{{RHS}}, and flowers, which may be solitary or in groups, usually have 3 (or rarely 5) sepals{{RHS}}.  In some species the lowest sepal is large and extended backwards into a spur{{RHS}}.  

The most popular is [[Impatiens walleriana]], which has a wide palate of colors, is easy to grow in both sun and shade, and blooms continuously unless a frost kills it back.  This may be the most popular bedding plant in America{{SSN}}.

Four most commonly grown:
<gallery>
Image:Impatiens_walleriana.JPG| [[Impatiens walleriana]] - the most popular species
Image:Impatiens balsamina1.jpg| [[Impatiens balsamina]] - Balsam
Image:Starr 061205-1896 Impatiens sodenii.jpg| [[Impatiens sodenii]] - Poor Man's Rhododendron
Image:Impatiens ngh.jpg| [[Impatiens 'New Guinea']] hybrids. Note darker leaves.
</gallery>

==Cultivation==
Need moist soil, good drainage, humus-rich soil, as well as a cool site (except for I. mirabilis){{RHS}}.  Perennials should be kept relatively dry in the winter dormancy period{{RHS}}. Pinch plants regularly if you want to keep them bushy{{RHS}}, otherwise some can get leggy.  For tall-flowering I. balsamina shoots, remove the side shoots and initial flower buds{{RHS}}.

Most are frost tender, but ''[[Impatiens glandulifera|I. glandulifera]]'', ''[[Impatiens noli-tangere|I. noli-tangere]]'' and ''[[Impatiens capensis|I. capensis]]'' can not only survive, but self-sow where winter temperatures drop to -15°C (5°F){{RHS}}.  These species can also become invasive in ideal conditions.

===Propagation===
Seed can be short lived in some species{{RHS}}, sow as fresh as possible.  Softwood cuttings can be taken of plants you like{{RHS}}.

Seeds of frost-sensitive sorts should be planted under glass in spring, then picked out and planted in individual pots of loamless or loam of medium fertility{{RHS}}.  Grow in a sunny, airy spot, free of frost, and pinch to keep compact{{RHS}}.  Plant outdoors only after danger of frost is passed, and water well.

Softwood cuttings can be taken in spring, and placed in soilless potting mix, best with some bottom heat{{RHS}}.

===Pests and diseases===
{{Main|List of impatiens diseases}}

Red spider mites and aphids can be a problem, especially under glass{{RHS}}.  Grey mold can cause flower buds to shrivel{{RHS}}. 
''Impatiens'' species are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species including [[Dot Moth]]{{wp}}.

==Species==
[[Image:Impatiens_namchabarwensis_21.jpg|thumb|''Impatiens namchabarwensis'']]
[[Image:Rosulata.JPG|thumb|''Impatiens rosulata'']]
[[Image:Impatiens parviflora.jpg|thumb|''Impatiens parviflora'']]
[[Image:ImpatiensGlandulifera-flower-sm.jpg|thumb|''Himalayan Balsam'']]
[[Image:Potapsco_fg13.jpg|thumb|''Impatiens capensis'']]
There are about 850{{RHS}} species of Impatiens, including:
<div float="left">
{{col-begin|width=70%}}
{{col-1-of-2}}
* ''[[Impatiens acehensis]]''
* ''[[Impatiens arguta]]''
* ''[[Impatiens arriensii]]''
* ''[[Impatiens aurella]]'' - [[Pale-yellow Jewelweed]]
* ''[[Impatiens auricoma]]''
* ''[[Impatiens balfourii]]'' - [[Kashmir Balsam]]<!-- &quot;balfouri&quot; is a common lapsus -->
* ''[[Impatiens balsamina]]'' - [[Garden Balsam]], Rose Balsam
* ''[[Impatiens bicornuta]]''
* ''[[Impatiens calcicola]]'' - ''[[thian pa]]'' ([[Thai (language)|Thai]])
* ''[[Impatiens campanulata]]''
* ''[[Impatiens capensis]]'' - [[Orange Jewelweed]], Common Jewelweed, Spotted Jewelweed, Orange Balsam
* ''[[Impatiens celebica]]''
* ''[[Impatiens chinensis]]''
* ''[[Impatiens cristata]]''
* ''[[Impatiens dempoana]]''
* ''[[Impatiens dewildeana]]''
* ''[[Impatiens diepenhorstii]]''
* ''[[Impatiens ecalcarata]]'' - [[Spurless Touch-me-not]]
* ''[[Impatiens edgeworthii]]''
* ''[[Impatiens etindensis]]''
* ''[[Impatiens eubotrya]]''
* ''[[Impatiens flaccida]]''
* ''[[Impatiens forbesii]]''
* ''[[Impatiens frithii]]''
* ''[[Impatiens glandulifera]]'' - [[Himalayan Balsam]], Indian Balsam, Policeman's Helmet
* ''[[Impatiens gordonii]]''
* ''[[Impatiens grandis]]''
* ''[[Impatiens grandisepala]]''
* ''[[Impatiens halongensis]]''
* ''[[Impatiens hawkeri]]'' - [[New Guinea Impatiens]], [[Spreading Impatiens]]
* ''[[Impatiens heterosepala]]''
* ''[[Impatiens hians]]''
* ''[[Impatiens holstii]]''
* ''[[Impatiens hongkongensis]]'' - [[Hong Kong Balsam]]
* ''[[Impatiens irvingii]]'' 
* ''[[Impatiens javensis]]''
* ''[[Impatiens jerdoniae]]''
* ''[[Impatiens kilimanjari]]'' - [[Kilimanjaro Impatiens]]
* ''[[Impatiens korthalsiana]]''
* ''[[Impatiens letouzeyi]]''
* ''[[Impatiens linearifolia]]''
{{col-2-of-2}}
* ''[[Impatiens malabarica]]''
* ''[[Impatiens marianae]]''
* ''[[Impatiens meruensis]]''
* ''[[Impatiens mirabilis]]''
* ''[[Impatiens morsei]]''
* ''[[Impatiens namchabarwensis]]'' - [[Blue Diamond Impatiens]]
* ''[[Impatiens neo-barnesii]]''
* ''[[Impatiens niamniamensis]]'' - [[Congo Cockatoo]]
* ''[[Impatiens nilagirica]]''
* ''[[Impatiens noli-tangere]]'' - [[Touch-me-not Balsam]]
* ''[[Impatiens obesa]]''
* ''[[Impatiens omeiana]]''
* ''[[Impatiens oppositifolia]]''
* ''[[Impatiens pallida]]'' - [[Pale Jewelweed]], Yellow Jewelweed
* ''[[Impatiens parviflora]]'' - [[Small Balsam]], Small-flowered Touch-me-not
* ''[[Impatiens paucidentata]]''
* ''[[Impatiens petersiana]]''
* ''[[Impatiens platypetala]]''
* ''[[Impatiens pritzelii]]''
* ''[[Impatiens pseudoviola]]'' 
* ''[[Impatiens psittacina]]'' - [[Parrot Flower]]
* ''[[Impatiens pyrrhotricha]]''
* ''[[Impatiens repens]]'' - [[Ceylon Balsam]], Yellow Impatiens
* ''[[Impatiens rosulata]]''
* ''[[Impatiens sakerana]]''
* ''[[Impatiens salpinx]]'' 
* ''[[Impatiens scabrida]]''
* ''[[Impatiens sidikalangensis]]''
* ''[[Impatiens singgalangensis]]''
* ''[[Impatiens sivarajanii]]''
* ''[[Impatiens sodenii]]'' - [[Poor Man's Rhododendron]]
* ''[[Impatiens sulcata]]''
* ''[[Impatiens sultana]]''
* ''[[Impatiens sumatrana]]''
* ''[[Impatiens tapanuliensis]]''
* ''[[Impatiens textorii]]'' 
* ''[[Impatiens teysmanni]]''
* ''[[Impatiens thomassetii]]''
* ''[[Impatiens tinctoria]]''
* ''[[Impatiens walleriana]]'' - [[Busy Lizzie]]
* ''[[Impatiens wilsoni]]'' 
* ''[[Impatiens zombensis]]''
{{col-end}}
</div>

==Gallery==
{{photo-sources}}<!-- remove this line if there are already 3 or more photos in the gallery  -->

<gallery>
Image:Impatiens-bloom-double-IMG 6712.JPG| Double flowered [[I. walleriana]]
Image:Upload.png| photo 2
Image:Upload.png| photo 3
</gallery>

==Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture==
{{Inc|
Balsam, Impatiens Balsamina, Linn. (Balsdmina hortensis, DC. Balsamina Impatiens, Hort. Impatiens coccinea, Sims). Balsaminaceae. An erect, much-branched, half-succulent annual, long ago introduced from India, and now widely cultivated for its showy flowers.

Plant 1½-2½ ft.: Lvs. lanceolate, toothed, the lower ones being mostly in pairs: fls. clustered in the axils of the Lvs., on very short stalks; sepals and petals similarly colored and not easily distinguished, one of the sepals (of which there seem to be 3) long-spurred; petals apparently 3, but 2 of them probably represent 2 united petals, thus making 5; stamens 5. The pod, shown in Figs. 450 and 451, is explosive. It has 5 carpels and very thin partitions, and seeds borne on axile placentae. When the caps. are ripe, a pinch or concussion will cause the valves to separate and contract the seeds being thrown with considerable force. The balsam has varied immensely in the doubling, size and color of its fls. and in the stature of the plant. It was known to Gerarde in 1596. The balsam is sometimes called "lady slipper," although this name is properly confined to Cypripedium, and used for Calceolaria.

Practically all the garden balsams are now double or semi-double. The full-double forms are known as the camellia- flowered varieties. Fig. 452. In well-selected stock, the greater part of the flowers from any batch of seedlings should come very double. The colors range from white to dark blood-red, yellowish and spotted. Balsams are of very easy culture. They are tender, and should be started in thumb-pots or boxes indoors, or in the open when danger of frost is past. The seeds are large, and germinate quickly. The plants prefer a rich, sandy loam, and must not suffer for moisture Transplanting, and pinching-in the strong shoots, tend to make the plants dwarf and compact; two or three transplanting are often made. It is well to remove the first flower-buds, especially if the plants are not thoroughly established. Better results are secured when only a few main branches are allowed to grow, all the secondary and weak ones being pinched out. Sometimes they are pruned to a single stem, and if much room is given very large blooms are secured. The lower leaves may be removed if they obscure the flowers. Well-grown bushy plants should stand 2 feet apart each way, and the tall kinds will reach a height of 2 to 2½ feet. Good bloom is impossible if plants are crowded. For this reason, balsams do well in rows on the border of a garden where they may have room. Seed of the finest double strains is expensive, but inferior or common seed gives little satisfaction. Plants started early in May should give flowers in July, and should bloom until frost. A full-grown plant is shown in Fig. 453. At present, balsams are grown chiefly as flower-garden plants; but some years ago the flowers were largely used as "groundwork" in florists' designs, particularly the double white varieties. The flowers were wired to toothpicks, and were then thrust into the moss that formed the body of the design.
}}

{{Inc|
Impatiens (from the Latin; having reference to the pods, which, when ripe, on slight pressure burst open, scattering the seed). Balsaminaceae. Touch- Me-not. Flower-garden and greenhouse subjects, grown for the odd and ornamental blossoms.

Tender, succulent annual or perennial herbs, often with very fleshy sts. and simple lvs. usually alternate (sometimes opposite) and the upper ones often in whorls: peduncles axillary, with 1-6 or more very irregular fls. of various colors; sepals 3 (seldom 5), the posterior one taking on a spur-like shape, the 2 lateral ones short, green: petals 2 or 3, the one at the back commonly very broad and erect, sometimes keeled or winged, the lateral ones more or less 2-lobed or auricled; stamens 5, 
the filaments appendaged and the scales connivent over the stigma: fr. a 5-valved pod, which, when ripe, bursts when pinched, scattering the seeds.—Species probably 500, widely distributed about the world, largely in mountainous regions in warm- temperate and tropical countries. The genus has been greatly enlarged in recent years, with explorations in Afr. and other regions. It abounds in species that will probably have horticultural value, although relatively lew are now in cult, outside botanical collections. The garden balsam (I. balsamina) is a general favorite in the annual flower-garden. I. sultani is common in greenhouses, and latterly I. Holslii, I. Oliveri, and a few others are sometimes seen. This beautiful genus has not been much developed horticulturally. Great numbers of species, hybrids and interesting forms may be expected to appear in cult, in the future. The genus has immense possibilities for productive horticultural work. The common touch-me-not of Great Britain and other parts of Eu. is I. noli-langere (sometimes written I. noli-me-langere), an erect 
smooth branching annual. 2 ft. or less high, with large showy yellow fls. spotted with orange, on slender axillary peduncles. It has been reported as an escape in N. Amer. The N. American I. biflora is naturalized in England.

The cultivation of impatiens is mostly simple and easy. The seeds are large and germinate readily (see Balsam). The indoor species grow well and readily from either cuttings or seeds. Some of them also do well when grown as tender annuals in the open ground, although likely to suffer in dry weather and to bleach in bright sun. The remarks under I. oliveri, I. sultani, I. holstii, I. hawkeri. I. plalypetala, I. flaccida, and I. hookeriana indicate the treatment for the greenhouse 
kinds.

Index.
	 	 
alba, 12, 13.
arcuala, 3.
aurea, 2.
Balfourii, 15.
Balsamina, 3.
biflora, 1.
biglandulosa, 13.
candida, 14.
coccinea, 3.
Epiacopi, 7.
flaccida, 12.
fulsa. 1.
glanduligera, 14.	
Grandiflora, 5.  		 
Hawkeri, 10.	
Holstii, 8.	
Hookeriana, 13.	
hortensis, 3.	
latifolia, 12.	
liegnitzia, 8.		 
macran ha, 3.		 
macrochila, 14.		 
micrantha, 3.	 	 
moschata, 14.	 	 
nortonii, 1.
oliveri, 6.
oppositifolia, 4.
palida, 2.
petersiana, 9.
platypetala, 11.
pulcherrima, 11.
roseo, 3.
roylei, 14.
sultani, 7.
vulgaris, 3.

I. auricoma, Baill. Perennial, 6-24 in.: lvs. alternate, lanceolate, acuminate, crenate and with bristles: fls. golden yellow streaked red within; lateral petals connate; spur short, curved, 2-parted: sta. and midrib reddish. Comoro Isls., Mozambique.— I. chrysdntha. Hook. f. Annual, glabrous: lvs. alternate, lanoeovate, serrate: fls. several on a peduncle, golden-yellow; spur short and incurved. India.—I. camortensis, Baker. Lvs. elliptic-lanoeolate, acute and crenate: fls. large, bright carmine with 2-parted white spur. Comoro Isls.—I. comorfcoma, Hort. (I. comorensisXI. auricoma). — I. cuspidata, Wight 4 Arn. Shrubby, glabrous, farinaceous: lvs. alternate or uppermost opposite, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, serrulate: fls. solitary, 1 in. across, very pale red; spur slender. India. Var. arthretica, Hook, f., has the lower nodes much thickened.— I. falcifer. Hook. f. Annual, more or less decumbent: lvs. alternate, sessile or stalked, ovate to ovate-lanceolate serrate: fls. solitary and short-pedicelled, ringent. golden yellow spotted blood-red; spur slender, to 1 ½ in. long. India.— I. herzogii, Schum. Stout branching herb the branches 4-angled: lvs. opposite and whorled, ovate to ovate-lanceolate: fls. soltary or clustered, about 2 in. across. cinnabar; spur to nearly 3 in. long, very slender, incurved. New Guinea. — I. holslani, Hort. (I. holstii X I. sultani). — I. kewensis, Hort. (I. platypetala X I. hersogii). — I. marianae, Reichb. Annual: lvs. cuneate-oblong and acute, serrate with lighter areas between veins: fls. light purple, cymose: standard with a projection below the tip: lip with slender hooked spur. India. — I. psittacina. Hook. f. Annual, leafy and much branched: lvs. alternate, ovate, acuminate, serrate: fls. solitary, oddly colored, 2 sepals green, standard pale rose, wings suffused and streaked red, lip white with irregular dash of carmine: spur short and hooked. Burma. — I. thomsonii, Hook. f. Annual, erect, 8-12 in.: lvs. alternate, ovate-lanceolate, serrate: fls. several on a peduncle, ¾ in. long, pale rose; spur slender, incurved. India.
}}

==References==
*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->

==External links==
*{{wplink}}

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