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Impatiens tinctoria

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A bushy plant by Sjkahn, DavesGarden.com.


The caudex from Strangewonderfulthings.com.


The huge flowers from Strangewonderfulthings.com.

Author: Achille Richard, 1847
Family:  BALSAMINACEAE
Origin:  Eritrea, Ethiopia, S Sudan, NE Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi.
Soil:  Rich
Water:  Maximum
Sun:  Medium
Thickness:  10 Centimetres
Height:  100-300 Centimetres
Flower:  White / Maroon
Propagate:  Seeds/Bulbs
Names:  -
Synonyms:  Impatiens tinctoria subsp. abyssinica, Grey-Wilson.
Impatiens tinctoria
subsp. elegantissima, Grey-Wilson.
Impatiens tinctoria
subsp. latifolia, Grey-Wilson.
Impatiens tinctoria
subsp. songeana, Grey-Wilson.

This member of the Balsaminaceae family was given this name by Achille Richard in 1847. It is found in Eritrea, Ethiopia, southern Sudan, north-eastern Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi, where it is growing growing in a rich soil with lots of water and some sun. The caudex can grow to ten centimetres in diameter, the entire plant to 100 or even 300 centimetres in height. The flowers are white and maroon, and ten centimetres wide!

The genera name means 'impatience', referring to the fruits which pops when ripe and touched. The species name tinctoria is Latin for 'used for dyeing or staining'.