Impatiens psittacina

Impatiens psittacina
	Illustration by John Nugent Fitch accompanying Hooker's description
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Balsaminaceae
Genus:	Impatiens
Species:	I. psittacina
Binomial name
	Impatiens psittacina; Hook.f.

Impatiens psittacina, known variously as the "parrot flower" or "parrot balsam" is a species of balsam from Southeast Asia that was described by the botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker and was noted for its flower that resemble a "flying cockatoo". It is known from Thailand, Burma and parts of India.^[1]

History[]

A balsam, Impatiens psittacina, or parrot flower, is a very rare impatiens species discovered in the Shan States of Upper Burma by Arthur Hedding Hildebrand, a British official. Seeds of it were presented to the Royal Gardens (Kew) in 1899 and it flowered in 1900 and a description was published in 1901 by Joseph Dalton Hooker who gave the common name of "cockatoo balsam".^[2]

The specimen in Kew did not set seed but the capsules are said not to explode and disperse seeds as in many Impatiens.

The species grows in the wild in a small region of north Thailand (near Chiang Mai), Burma, and in the north-east Indian state of Manipur. The species name "psittacina" is Latin for "parrot-like",^[3] in reference to parrot-shaped blooms viewed from the side.

The Thai government has prohibited exporting this species, so it is not in cultivation.^[4] Counterfeit seeds are frequently sold.^[5]

Description[]

The plant is erect and branches profusely and grows compactly to a height of about half a metre. Like other Impatiens species it has thick stems, the leaves have a serrulate margin. The flower is light purple and carmine red. The lateral sepals are orbicular and light green. The lower sepal is bulbous and narrows into a hooked spur tipped in carmine. The dorsal petal is orbicular and hooded while the lateral united petals are long.^[1]

This species of Impatiens is known in Thai as "Dork Nok Khaew" which translates to "Flower Bird Parrot".^{[citation needed]}

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Morgan, P. Raymond (2007). Impatiens: the vibrant world of Busy Lizzies, Balsams, and Touch-me-nots. Timber Press. p. 205. ISBN 978-0881928525.
^ Hooker, JD (1901). "Impatiens psittacina : Native of Burma. plate 7809". Curtis's Botanical Magazine. 127.
^ "Plant Latin Dictionary". Archived from the original on 2015-07-10. Retrieved 2015-08-08.
^ "Thailand Parrot Flower".
^ "eBay screeshot of August 8, 2015".

External links[]

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[morgan-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b Morgan, P. Raymond (2007). Impatiens: the vibrant world of Busy Lizzies, Balsams, and Touch-me-nots. Timber Press. p. 205. ISBN 978-0881928525.

[2] Hooker, JD (1901). "Impatiens psittacina : Native of Burma. plate 7809". Curtis's Botanical Magazine. 127.

[3] "Plant Latin Dictionary". Archived from the original on 2015-07-10. Retrieved 2015-08-08.

[4] "Thailand Parrot Flower".

[5] "eBay screeshot of August 8, 2015".

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