Impatiens denisonii
Encyclopedia
Impatiens denisonii is a scapigerous
herb
species of the Balsaminaceae
family, which is found only in the Western Ghats
in South India
. It is among the rarest of the eighteen Impatiens
species which are endemic in the Nilgiri Hills. It was very abundant and considered among the most beautiful plants in the Nilgiri Hills.
. The scape and pedicel
s are very long and slender. The wings are 3-partite bearded on the inner face. The lateral segment has a filiform appendage enclosed in the long recurved spur
.
The leaves are ovate cordate with bristly crenatures with numerous weak hairs above and glabrous below. Petiole
s are generally shorter than the leaves. Scapes much longer than the leaves. Bracts are small and ovate, pedicel
s are 1 inches (2.5 cm) long. Sepal
s are small and ovate. The vexillum is rather large broadly ovate, vaulted and has three broad spreading lobes with a dense tuft of petaloid hairs above the conjunction of the lobes. It has a long filiform
appendage which is entirely hidden in the spur and extends its whole length. Spur is a very long recurved glabrous capsule. Seeds are numerous and small.
In 2002, it was rediscovered by Tarun Chhabra and other researchers of the Edhkwehlynawd Botanical Refuge (EBR) of Udhagamandalam (Ootacamund). This team noticed that several native species of wild balsams were seldom seen in the field. For three years of ongoing botanical studies they made field trips during each August-September period when the balsams are in bloom. They sighted the I. denisonii only during their third year of searching. This was the first scientific collection of the species since British naturalist Richard Henry Beddome
first documented it in 1862.
Scape (botany)
In botany, scapes are leafless flowering stems that rise from the ground. Scapes can have a single flower or many flowers, depending on the species....
herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
species of the Balsaminaceae
Balsaminaceae
Balsaminaceae are a family of dicotyledonous plants, comprising two genera and 850+ species, all but one of which belong to the genus Impatiens...
family, which is found only in the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
in South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. It is among the rarest of the eighteen Impatiens
Impatiens
Impatiens is a genus of about 850–1,000 species of flowering plants, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and tropics. Together with the puzzling Hydrocera triflora, this genus makes up the family Balsaminaceae...
species which are endemic in the Nilgiri Hills. It was very abundant and considered among the most beautiful plants in the Nilgiri Hills.
Description
This plant has numerous pink or purple flowers. The leaf base is deeply 2-lobed with a broad sinusSinus (botany)
In botany, a sinus is a space or indentation, usually on a leaf, between two lobes or teeth that does not break the continuity of the structure....
. The scape and pedicel
Pedicel (botany)
A pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....
s are very long and slender. The wings are 3-partite bearded on the inner face. The lateral segment has a filiform appendage enclosed in the long recurved spur
Spur (biology)
A spur in botany is a spike, usually part of a flower.In certain plants, part of a sepal or petal develops into an elongated hollow spike extending behind the flower, containing nectar which is sucked by long-tongued animals . Plants with such structures include Delphinium, Aquilegia, Piperia, and...
.
The leaves are ovate cordate with bristly crenatures with numerous weak hairs above and glabrous below. Petiole
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
s are generally shorter than the leaves. Scapes much longer than the leaves. Bracts are small and ovate, pedicel
Pedicel (botany)
A pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....
s are 1 inches (2.5 cm) long. Sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s are small and ovate. The vexillum is rather large broadly ovate, vaulted and has three broad spreading lobes with a dense tuft of petaloid hairs above the conjunction of the lobes. It has a long filiform
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
appendage which is entirely hidden in the spur and extends its whole length. Spur is a very long recurved glabrous capsule. Seeds are numerous and small.
Habitat
I. denisonii is found in grasslands and along hedges and in wastelands of the Nilgiri Hills. It was very abundant on rocks and trees of the western slopes of the Nilgiris along the Sispara Ghat at elevations of 900 metres (2,952.8 ft) to 1500 metres (4,921.3 ft).In 2002, it was rediscovered by Tarun Chhabra and other researchers of the Edhkwehlynawd Botanical Refuge (EBR) of Udhagamandalam (Ootacamund). This team noticed that several native species of wild balsams were seldom seen in the field. For three years of ongoing botanical studies they made field trips during each August-September period when the balsams are in bloom. They sighted the I. denisonii only during their third year of searching. This was the first scientific collection of the species since British naturalist Richard Henry Beddome
Richard Henry Beddome
Colonel Richard Henry Beddome was a British military officer in India, chief conservator of the Madras Forest Department and a naturalist...
first documented it in 1862.
External sources
- Impatiens denisonii Photo
- Sir J.D. Hooker, C.B, K.C.S.I. (1897) “Flora of British India” International Distributors, Dehra Dun. Vol-1 to Vol-7.
- Clive Stage, (1997) “New Flora of the British Isles” The press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, New York. Second edition.
- J.s Gamble, (1986) “Flora of Presidency of Madras” Bishen Singh publishers, Dehra Dun. Vol-1 to Vol-3.
- Singh, vohra, Hajra, (1997) “Flora of India” Botanical Survey of India, Coimbatore. Vol-1 to Vol-5.
- Cecil.J. Saldanha. (1996), “ Flora of Karnataka” Oxford & IBH Publishing, New Delhi. Vol-2.
- Dr.S.N.Ramaswamy, Dr. M. Radhakrishna Roa, Dr. D.A.Govindappa (2001) “Flora of Shimoga District, Karnataka” Manasa Gangothri Publishing, Mysore.
- K.R.Keshava Murthy, S.N. Yoganarasimhan, (1990), “ Flora of Coorg (Kodagu)” Vismat Publishers, Rajaji Nagar B’lore.
- S.N.Yoganarasimhan, K.Subramanyam & B.A. Razi, (1981) “Flora of Chikmagalur District” International Book Distributors, Dehra Dun.
- K.Gopalakrishna Bhat, (2003) “Flora of Udupi” Manipal press Limited, Manipal.
- Cecil.J. Saldanha. H. Nicolson, (1976) “Flora of Hassan District” Amerind Publishing, New Delhi.