IMPATIENS NOLI-TANGERE
Common Names:- Touch-me-not balsam
Homotypic synonyms:- Balsamina impatiens, Balsamina noli-tangere.
Impatiens lutea,
Meaning:- Impatiens (L) Deriveded from the Latin word for "impatient," because
their ripe seed pods burst open forcefully when touched.
Noli-tangere (L) Latin phrase that translates to "do not touch me".
General description:- A succulent annual herb. It features alternate ovate-elliptic
leaves, irregular yellow flowers with reddish-brown spots, and explosive seed
capsules that eject seeds upon contact.
Stems:-
1) From 30 to 150 cm., erect, succulent, glabrous, and translucent-green, featuring
prominent swollen or jointed nodes, which break very easily.
Leaves:-
1) Simple and alternate elliptic to ovate with a thin texture, margins, sharply toothed
or serrate, with the teeth tipped by tiny points.
2) Petioles, noticeable petioles 2 to 4 cm long.
Flowers:-
1) Irregularly shaped, 25 to 40 mm long. Bright yellow, often speckled or mottled
with faint reddish-brown or crimson dots inside.
2) Comprising;
a) 5 petals, an upper notched petal and unequal lateral pairs.
b) 3 sepals. The lowest, forming an enlarged, pouch-like sac that abruptly tapers
into a curved nectar-spur.
Fruit:-
1) Capsule, 5 celled, elongated and hanging downwards.
2) Turgor pressure builds inside the ripening capsule (balochory). When touched or
jarred, it snaps open explosively, coiling its valves backward to fling seeds
meters away
Key features:-
1) Flowers, large yellow with reddish-brown spots, a sharply curved nectar spur.
2) Seed pods, that burst open explosively when touched.
Toxicity:- Mildly toxic if eaten in large quantities, primarily due to calcium oxalate
crystals and bitter compounds like lawsone or alkaloids. It is generally considered
non-fatal, but ingestion causes localized mouth irritation and digestive upset.
Habitat:- It likes rich, wet soil and cool shade in damp, shady places like wet
woods, stream banks, and lake edges.
Distribution:- A temperate circumpolar plant with a wide native range across
northern and temperate Eurasia, extending from Europe across Siberia and Russia
to China, Korea, and Japan, as well as parts of northwestern North America. A rare
native annual herb in the UK. It is considered truly native only in the Lake District
and Mid-Wales, with scattered non-native garden escapes or casual populations
found locally in parts of northern England and Wales
Flowering time:- July through September.
Status:- UK, Native and rare/scarce; considered truly native only in specific
strongholds like Cumbria (Lake District) and parts of Wales, though found
occasionally as a casual garden escape elsewhere.
Photos by:- Saxifraga - Free nature images