Four discovered species of Balsam
Impatiens Haridasanii
- It was found from Pongchan.
- It was named after Haridasan (a former scientist at State Forest Research Institute, Arunachal Pradesh).
- The species is characterised by small pure yellow flowers and hairy leaves.
Impatiens pseudocitrina
- It was discovered from Anjaw district.
- It has bright yellow flowers with small red spots on the throat and a long spur at the back.
- The species name denotes the similarities with I. citrina.
Impatiens nilalohitae
- It was discovered from the Lower Dibang valley.
- It grows to a height of more than one meter.
- It has dark purple flowers with pale yellow throat and green stalk.
- The name nilalohitae denotes the dark purple color in Sanskrit.
Impatiens roingensis,
- It was found growing in Roing and Upper Siang.
- The plant has clustered white flowers with yellow patch on the mouth and hooked spur.
Balsam
- These are commonly known as jewel weeds because of the diverse color of the flowers.
- These are distributed throughout the Eastern Himalayas and the Western Ghats, Sri Lanka, South East Asia, Africa and Madagascar.
- The genus is scientifically named as Impatiens, signifying the impatient nature of the fruits which explode suddenly when touched.
- These grow in rich moist soil.
- These are highly endemic.
Threats
- Balsams face a threat from the fast-changing landscape of the region.
- Road widening works, deforestation and other development activities are posing a threat to the natural habitat of the new species.
Importance of Balsam
- Botanists have emphasised that balsams have immense horticultural importance.
- Studies on hybrids of the plants have been undertaken in parts of the country to produce flowers that can sustain in different environmental conditions.
- Different hybrids can be created from wild balsam species, so it is important to know the actual number of balsam species in the wild.
Section : Environment & Ecology
