Impatiens irvingii

Impatiens irvingii is a species of flowering plant in the family Balsaminaceae. It is native to tropical Africa.[1]

Impatiens irvingii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Balsaminaceae
Genus: Impatiens
Species:
I. irvingii
Binomial name
Impatiens irvingii

This is a variable plant. In general, it is a perennial herb with stems up to 1.5 meters long, or occasionally longer. They are rarely erect, more often prostrate or somewhat upright. The stems are succulent with swollen nodes, often red in color or green tinged with red, and sometimes hairy or velvety. The spirally arranged leaves have generally lance-shaped, toothed blades up to 16 centimeters long. They are dark green and waxy on the upper surfaces and silvery green on the undersides. They are sometimes hairy. Light purple flowers grow in the leaf axils. They have hairy bracts and sepals. The back sepal tapers into a long spur. The petals are up to 3 centimeters long. The fruit capsule is up to 1.8 centimeters long.[2]

The natural habitat types of the plant include moist and wet areas such as moist forests and swamps.[2]

In Nigeria, this plant is associated with the introduced snail Indoplanorbis exustus.[3]

It is a host plant for the downy mildew fungus Pseudoperonospora cubensis, which causes red spots on the leaves and, in severe cases, necrosis.[4]

References
  1. "Impatiens irvingii". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  2. Impatiens irvingii Hook.f. ex Oliv. Flora Zambesiaca. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  3. Ofoezie, I. E. (1999). Distribution of freshwater snails in the man-made Oyan Reservoir, Ogun State, Nigeria. Hydrobiologia 416, 181-91.
  4. Voglmayr, H., et al. (2008). Pseudoperonospora cubensis causing downy mildew disease on Impatiens irvingii in Cameroon: a new host for the pathogen. New Disease Report 18, 2008-60.


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