- Family : BALSAMINACEAE
- Family (As per The Plant List) : Balsaminaceae
- Species : Impatiens balsamina
- Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Impatiens balsamina L.
- Common name : Blackberry Trifle, Balsam plant
- Vernacular name : Tairinee (San.); Gourihoo, Karna kundala (Kan.)
- Collection Nos : HFP 2133, CJS 15041
- Key identification features : A bushy annual with delicate succulent stem crowded with simple, toothed, elongated leaves. Flowers are attractive, axillary and of various colours (red, pink, white) and sepals with an elongated spur that is characteristic of these flowers. Fruit is a dehiscent capsule, enclosing many seeds.
- Habit : Herb
- Native : India, China, Malaysia, Sri Lanka
- Comments : Widely cultivated in gardens as an ornamental; grows gregariously under all climatic conditions. The plant possesses medicinal properties. Seeds of I. balsamina contain cysteine-rich peptides with marked antimicrobial activity. These proteins inhibit the growth of fungi and bacteria without harming human cells (Tailor et al., 1997). A redcoloured dye obtained from the flowers and leaves is used for colouring nails (Polunin & Stainton, 1984; Yi-ling et al., 2007).
- Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
- Distribution Locality : Bangalore, Belgaum, Chikamagalur, Chitradurga, Davanagere, Hassan, Kodagu, Kolar, Mysore, Shimoga, Tumkur, Udupi, Uttara Kannada
- Floras referred : Saldanha & Nicolson, 1976 - Hassan; Ramaswamy & Razi, 1973 - Bangalore; Rao & Razi, 1981 - Mysore; Keshava Murthy & Yoganarasimhan, 1990 - Coorg; Manjunath et al., 2003 - Davanagere
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