Wikimedia Commons
Balsaminaceae
Garden Balsam
Impatiens balsamina
Impatience and ardent love.
- Family
- Balsaminaceae
- Genus
- Impatiens
- Native to
- India, Southeast Asia
- Bloom season
- Summer, Fall
- Type
- annual
- Height
- 1-2.5 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun to part shade
- Soil
- moist, rich, well-drained
- Water
- moderate to high
- Hardiness
- 2-11
- Lifespan
- annual
Did you know
- The ripe seed pods explode when touched, shooting seeds up to several feet away, earning the name 'touch-me-not.'
- In traditional Chinese medicine, the plant has been used for centuries to treat snakebites and skin conditions.
- In some Asian cultures, the flower petals are crushed and applied to fingernails as a natural dye.
- The genus name Impatiens literally means 'impatient,' referring to the explosive seed dispersal mechanism.
- In Victorian England, giving someone a balsam flower was a gentle way of saying 'please be patient with me.'
Color meanings
0
impatience
1
ardent love
2
do not touch me