- Impatiens balsamina
Taxobox
name = "Impatiens balsamina"
image_width = 240px
regnum =Plant ae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis =Magnoliopsida
ordo =Ericales
familia =Balsaminaceae
genus = "Impatiens "
species = "I. balsamina"
binomial = "Impatiens balsamina"
binomial_authority=L."Impatiens balsamina" (Garden Balsam or Rose Balsam) is a species of "
Impatiens " native to southernAsia inIndia andMyanmar .It is called kamantigue in the Philippines.Germplasm Resources Information Network: [http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?19810 "Impatiens balsamina"] ]It is an
annual plant growing to 20–75 cm tall, with a thick, but soft stem. The leaves are spirally-arranged, 2.5–9 cm long and 1–2.5 cm broad, with a deeply toothed margin. Theflower s are red, pink, purple, or white, and 2.5–5 cm diameter; they are pollinated by bees and other insects, and also by nectar-feeding birds.Huxley, A., ed. (1992). "New RHS Dictionary of Gardening". Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.]Different parts of the plant are used to treat disease and skin afflctions; the leaves, seeds, and stems are also edible if cooked. Juice from balsam leaves treats warts and also
snakebite , while the flower can be applied to burns to cool the skin.Plants for a Future: [http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Impatiens+balsamina "Impatiens balsamina"] ]It is widely cultivated as an
ornamental plant , and has become naturalised and invasive on several Pacific Ocean islands. [Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk: [http://www.hear.org/pier/species/impatiens_balsamina.htm "Impatiens balsamina"] ]References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.