Impatiens textorii
| Impatiens textorii | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Flower, Mudeungsan National Park, South Korea | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Balsaminaceae |
| Genus: | Impatiens |
| Species: | I. textorii |
| Binomial name | |
| Impatiens textorii | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
11 synonyms
| |
Impatiens textorii is a species of flowering plant in the family Balsaminaceae. It is native to East Asia, including China, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Mongolia and eastern Siberia. It is an introduced species in New Zealand.[1] It was first described in 1865 by Dutch botanist Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel as Impatiens textori, i.e. with one 'i'.[3]
Description
Impatiens textorii is a succulent annual herb that typically grows to a height of 40 to 80 cm. The stems are green, often tinted with purple at the nodes, and are notably fragile and brittle. Its leaves are arranged alternately along the stem, displaying a broadly lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate shape with sharply serrated margins.[4]
The flowers are approximately 3 cm long and are predominantly reddish-purple. The lower sepal is highly enlarged and deeply saccate, taking on a distinct boat-shaped appearance. A defining characteristic of I. textorii is its slender nectar spur, which loops or tightly coils spirally at its apex; this distinct trait morphologically separates it from the co-occurring Impatiens noli-tangere, which features a straight or uncoiled spur. A rare, naturally occurring white-flowered color mutation is recognized as the form Impatiens textorii f. pallescens.[5]
Ecology
The species is entomophilous, relying heavily on insect pollinators. The unique curvature of its spiral nectar spur is evolutionary tailored to accommodate the long proboscis of local bumblebees. To prevent self-pollination, the flowers exhibit protandry, a reproductive strategy where the male stamens mature, shed pollen, and drop away before the female pistil becomes receptive to cross-pollination.
Vernacular names
In Japan, the plant is commonly referred to as Tsuri-fune-so (ツリフネソウ), meaning "hanging boat weed," in reference to the way the flowers hang from their stalks like small boats.[6]
References
- 1 2 3 "Impatiens textori Miq". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2025. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ↑ "Impatiens textori Miq". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. 2025. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ↑ Miquel, Friedrich Anton Wilhelm (1865). "Prolusio Florae Iaponicae". Annales Musei Botanici Lugduno-Batavi: 76.
- ↑ Oh, Ami; Oh, Byoung-Un; Oh, Hyun Kyung (2024-08-29). "Impatiens jangjeonense (Balsaminaceae), a new species from South Korea". Phytotaxa. 663 (5): 283–293. Bibcode:2024Phytx.663..283O. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.663.5.3. ISSN 1179-3163.
- ↑ Oh, Ami; Oh, Byoung-Un; Oh, Hyun Kyung (2024-08-29). "Impatiens jangjeonense (Balsaminaceae), a new species from South Korea". Phytotaxa. 663 (5): 283–293. Bibcode:2024Phytx.663..283O. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.663.5.3. ISSN 1179-3163.
- ↑ Tokuda, Nanako; Hattori, Mitsuru; Abe, Kota; Shinohara, Yoshinori; Nagano, Yusuke; Itino, Takao (2015). "Demonstration of pollinator-mediated competition between two native Impatiens species, Impatiens noli-tangere and I. textori (Balsaminaceae)". Ecology and Evolution. 5 (6): 1271–1277. Bibcode:2015EcoEv...5.1271T. doi:10.1002/ece3.1431. ISSN 2045-7758. PMC 4377270. PMID 25859332.