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Welcome to Mr.
Impatiens' Website |
Thanks for taking a look at my website dedicated to the cultivation and preservation of the species Impatiens. I hope you will find it both informative and enjoyable.
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A
little about Impatiens
Only a few species of this family are widely grown--namely Impatiens walleriana, I. balsamina and, I. hawkeri (ie. New Guinea Hybrids). It seems strange that impatiens (also called balsams) are one of the most popular garden annuals in the world, Impatiens walleriana being number one seller; yet so few of the approximately 1000 species are grown. Impatiens are very successful in the horticultural field. So why not others? Some species can be very hard to start from seed. Many seeds could be collected but never germinate or have very poor germination. Most all of the perennial species are easy to cultivate from cuttings, but many don't make it into cultivation from the wild due to the distance and shock of travel.
Slowly, but surely, some are making it into cultivation and collection must be done carefully. There are many species out there that would make first rate greenhouse plants. Others are being discovered to be hardy perennials for the garden. And still some make great annuals like Impatiens balfourii (Poor Man'Âs Orchid) or I. glandulifera (Policeman's helmet, or Bee Bum) that will grace the garden and provide an of explosion of color year after year.
The Family Balsaminaceae consists of only two Genera:
Hydrocera and Impatiens. Impatiens
is by far the largest and inhabits all continents except South America and
Australia. Hydrocera has only one species confined to tropical Asia. One of the features that separates Impatiens from the rest of the plant
kingdom is the explosive nature of the seeds. Under extreme pressure, the ripe
seed pods explode when disturbed scattering the seeds far and wide (sometimes
more the twenty feet from the parent plant!) Competing with orchids in beauty
and diversity, the flower shapes of impatiens come in many different forms, from
the flat disk -like flowers of I.
walleriana to the alien sea-creature flowers of I.
niamniamensis These strange shapes they all have the ability to change sex. When an impatiens flower first opens it is male and after a few days this
pollen cap is shed to reveal the female organs underneath. This little bit of evolution is to keep the plant from self-pollination
but it doesn't always work. Some species naturally set seed without even
opening their flowers; this is called being cleistogomous. Some of the species have even gone one step further in that it is
self-sterile and needs another of the same species in order to set seed.
Hydrocera triflora Impatiens niamniamensis "Long spur"
Impatiens come from many different ecological niches. Forms range from epiphytes in trees and rocks to hardy perennials with underground rhizomes and tubers, annuals that will survive bitter freezing temperatures in arctic climates, to semi-aquatics that grow in edges of streams. Their flowers also run the rainbow of colors from reds to blues to near blacks and browns. There are colors to suit anyone'Âs taste. Impatiens are truly amazing plants.
Sadly, even with this great diversity many balsams are in danger of extinction. Most of the species are highly endemic to a native range, meaning one species may come from a certain location and not appear anywhere else. This has caused the extinction of a couple of species, namely I. walkerii and I. repens from Sri Lanka. These species have not been collected in nearly 100 years and many of these localities have been obliterated. Impatiens repens is lucky in that it was brought into cultivation soon after its discovery. Unfortunately,I. walkerii was not so lucky and may be lost to the world forever. The main reason of course is farming and destruction of the forest in which these fascinating plants inhabit. Preservation through cultivation seems to be the only hope of saving many of these species from extinction.
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This site was made to bring people into contact and to provide information on the cultivation of these rare and wonderful plants. I have set up an email group at yahoogroups.com. You may want to check out Gardenweb.com Impatiens forum, which always seems to be buzzing. This website will deal more with the cultivation of species impatiens and unusual hybrids and not so much on those that are more commonly grown. If you are interested in contacting me or have some Impatiens you would like to trade please send your email to balsaminaceae@yahoo.com. Please, make sure you put "Impatiens" in the subject line or it may be viewed as spam mail and trashed. Or join the online email group at impatiens@yahoogroups.com or the Gardenweb impatiens forum if you would like to hear from others who grow balsams or exchange seeds or plant with others. Both these forums are member oriented but are free to join. So click on the links and explore the site. You may just be surprised by what you see and find.
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