Impatiens balsamina L.

 
  • Family : BALSAMINACEAE
    (Balsam Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : GUL-MEHNDI FAMILY (गुलमेंहदी फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Balsaminaceae
  • Synonym(s) : Impatiens balsamina var. Corymbosa Santapa
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Impatiens balsamina L.
  • Common name : Garden Balsam, Blackberry Trifle, Balsam plant, Balsam weed, Jewel weed
  • Vernacular name :
    • Gul mandi (Hindi)
    • Gourihoo, Karna kundala (Kannada)
    • Haragaura (Oria)
    • Tairinee (Sanskrit)
    • Terada (Marathi)
    • Mechingam, Thottachinungi (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Herb
  • Habitat : Grasslands, plateaus, Ploughed fields
  • Comments / notes : On hills above 750m and on exposed rocky slopes. Size of the flowers varies from place to place.
  • Key identification features : Erect gregarious herb; Leaves alternate; Flowers axillary, pink purple, orange red, spur long.
  • Flower, Fruit : August-February
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Kurnool district, Nellore district, Vishakapatnam district
    • Kerala : Kannur district, Wayanad district, Kozhikode district, Malappuram district, Palakkad district, Thrissur district, Idukki district, Kottayam district, Alappuzha district, Pathanamthitta district, Kollam district
    • Maharashtra : Pune district, Palghar district, Satara district, Ahmednagar district, Nashik district, Raigad district, Thane district
    • Odisha : Common
    • Tamil Nadu : Coimbatore district, Madurai district, Vellore district, Tiruvannamalai district, Villipuram district, Cuddalore district, All hills of Tamil Nadu
    • Himachal Pradesh : Shimla district, Una district
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
  • Native : India, Sri Lanka
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : Tropical Asia
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2002 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 1
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1
    • R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District
    • N.P.Singh, 1988. Flora of Eastern Karnataka
    • Henry, Kumari & Chithra (1983). Flora of Tamil Nadu, India vol. 1
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
    • N.P. Singh & S. Karthikeyan 2000. Flora of Maharashtra vol 1.
    • H J, Chowdhery, et al. Flora of Himachal Pradesh. Volume 1, Botanical Survey of India, 1984. Pg.: 135
    • Matthew, K.M., Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Pullaiah, T & Chennaiah, E., 1997. Flora of Andhra Pradesh. Vol. 1
  • Read more :
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2024). India Flora Online. http://indiafloraonline-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Impatiens balsamina. Downloaded on 25 March 2025.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Line Drawings

Field Image(s)

Habitat

India Distribution

World Distribution

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