''Impatiens denisonii'' is a scapigerous

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

species of the family

Balsaminaceae The Balsaminaceae (commonly known as the balsam family) are a family of dicotyledonous plants, comprising two genera: '' Impatiens'', which consists of over 1000 species, and ''Hydrocera'', consisting of 1 species. The flowering plants may be an ...

, which is found only in the Western Ghats in

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...

. It is among the rarest of the eighteen ''

Impatiens ''Impatiens'' is a genus of more than 1,000 species of flowering plants, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and the tropics. Together with the genus ''Hydrocera'' (one species), ''Impatiens'' make up the family Balsaminaceae. ...

'' species The endemic Nilgiri ''Impatiens'' species are: (11 Listed by Chhabra and *=7 additional species listed by ENVIS) '' Impatiens acaulis''

Arn. George Arnott Walker Arnott of Arlary (6 February 1799 – 17 April 1868) was a Scottish botanist. Early life George Arnott Walker Arnott was born in Edinburgh in 1799, the son of David Walker Arnott of Arlary. He attended Milnathort Parish ...

, '' Impatiens clavicornu''

Turcz. Nikolai Stepanovich Turczaninow ( ru , Николай Степанович Турчанинов, 1796 in Nikitovka, now in Krasnogvardeysky District, Belgorod Oblast, Russia – 1863 in Kharkov) was a Russian botanist and plant collector who ...

*, '' Impatiens cuspidate''

Wight A wight (Old English: ''wiht'') is a mythical sentient being, often undead. In its original use the word ''wight'' described a living human being, but has come to be used in fictional works in the fantasy genre to describe certain immortal bein ...

*, '' Impatiens debilis'' Turcz *, ''Impatiens denisonii'' Bedd., '' Impatiens gardneriana'' Wight *, '' Impatiens laticornis''

Fisch. Friedrich Ernst Ludwig Fischer (20 February 1782, Halberstadt – 17 June 1854) was a Russian botanist, born in Germany. He was director of the St Petersburg botanical garden from 1823 to 1850. In 1804 he obtained his medical doctorate from the ...

, '' Impatiens lawsonii'' Hook. f., ''

Impatiens lenta ''Impatiens'' is a genus of more than 1,000 species of flowering plants, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and the tropics. Together with the genus ''Hydrocera'' (one species), ''Impatiens'' make up the family Balsaminaceae. ...

'' Hook. f. *, '' Impatiens levingei''

Gamble Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three elem ...

ex Hook. f., '' Impatiens munronii'' Wight *, ''

Impatiens neo-barnesi ''Impatiens'' is a genus of more than 1,000 species of flowering plants, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and the tropics. Together with the genus ''Hydrocera'' (one species), ''Impatiens'' make up the family Balsaminaceae. ...

'' Fisch., ''

Impatiens nilagirica ''Impatiens'' is a genus of more than 1,000 species of flowering plants, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and the tropics. Together with the genus ''Hydrocera'' (one species), ''Impatiens'' make up the family Balsaminaceae. ...

'' Fisch., ''

Impatiens orchioides ''Impatiens'' is a genus of more than 1,000 species of flowering plants, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and the tropics. Together with the genus ''Hydrocera'' (one species), ''Impatiens'' make up the family Balsaminaceae. ...

'' Bedd., ''

Impatiens rufescens ''Impatiens'' is a genus of more than 1,000 species of flowering plants, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and the tropics. Together with the genus ''Hydrocera'' (one species), ''Impatiens'' make up the family Balsaminaceae. ...

Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

ex Wight & Arn., ''

Impatiens scapiflora ''Impatiens'' is a genus of more than 1,000 species of flowering plants, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and the tropics. Together with the genus ''Hydrocera'' (one species), ''Impatiens'' make up the family Balsaminaceae. ...

'' Heyne &

Wall. Nathaniel Wolff Wallich FRS FRSE (28 January 1786 – 28 April 1854) was a surgeon and botanist of Danish origin who worked in India, initially in the Danish settlement near Calcutta and later for the Danish East India Company and the British ...

, ''

Impatiens tenella ''Impatiens'' is a genus of more than 1,000 species of flowering plants, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and the tropics. Together with the genus ''Hydrocera'' (one species), ''Impatiens'' make up the family Balsaminaceae. ...

'' Heyne ex

Hook.f. Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For twenty years he served as director of ...

and '' Impatiens trichocarpa'' Hook. f. * . which are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

Nilgiri Hills The Nilgiri Mountains form part of the Western Ghats in northwestern Tamil Nadu, Southern Karnataka, and eastern Kerala in India. They are located at the trijunction of three states and connect the Western Ghats with the Eastern Ghats. At le ...

. 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

sinus Sinus may refer to: Anatomy * Sinus (anatomy), a sac or cavity in any organ or tissue ** Paranasal sinuses, air cavities in the cranial bones, especially those near the nose, including: *** Maxillary sinus, is the largest of the paranasal sinuses, ...

. The scape and

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

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 A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to back ...

. The leaves are ovate cordate with bristly crenatures with numerous weak hairs above and

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin ''glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...

below. Petioles are generally shorter than the leaves. Scapes much longer than the leaves. Bracts are small and ovate,

s are long.

Sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s are small and ovate. The

vexillum The ''vexillum'' (; plural ''vexilla'') was a flag-like object used as a military standard by units in the Ancient Roman army. Use in Roman army The word ''vexillum'' is a derivative of the Latin word, ''velum'', meaning a sail, which con ...

is rather large broadly ovate, vaulted and has three broad spreading lobes with a dense tuft of

petaloid Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usually ...

hairs above the conjunction of the lobes. It has a long

filiform Filiform, thread or filament like, can refer to: *Filiform, a common term used in botany to describe a thread-like shape *Filiform, or filiform catheter, a medical device whose component parts or segments are all cylindrical and more or less uni ...

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 GhatBeddome, Richard Henry
Balsaminaceae Impatiens denisonii Bedd.
Madras J. Lit. Sci. Ser. III, i. (1864) 41. at elevations of to . In 2002, it was rediscovered by Tarun Chhabra and other researchers of th

(EBR) of

Udhagamandalam Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and so ...

(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 Colonel Richard Henry Beddome (11 May 1830 – 23 February 1911) was a British military officer and naturalist in India, who became chief conservator of the Madras Forest Department. In the mid-19th century, he extensively surveyed several ...

first documented it in 1862.

References

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 Stace Clive Anthony Stace (born 1938) is a British botanist and botanical author. He studied at King's College London, graduated from University of London in 1959 and then studied at the Natural History Museum, London. He was awarded a PhD in 1963. H ...

, (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. {{Taxonbar, from=Q9008152 denisonii Endemic flora of India (region)