Impatiens tingens - Himalayan Pink-Tinged Balsam

Himalayan Pink-Tinged Balsam is an annual herb, 1-4 ft tall, stem fleshy, swollen at nodes. Leaves are alternate, aggregated at the end part of stem, leaf-stalk 1-2 cm long, blade broadly lanceshaped to oblong-ovate, 8-14 cm long, 4-6 cm wide, hairless with rounded toothed margin. Flowers are borne in racemes, 6-13 cm long, in leaf-axils, with 6-10 flowers, flowers congested on top of flower-cluster-stalk. Flowers are 1.4-2 cm long, 1.2-2.8 cm deep. Lateral sepals two, ovate, 3-4 mm long. Lower sepal greenish, white or rose, 4-7 mm long, 1.2-2 cm deep, tubular; spur not prominent. Dorsal petal is white, rose or pale purple, 4-6 mm long and 6 mm wide when flattened, hoodlike, with thickened greenish midrib, ending in a short horn or appendage. Lateral united petals are white, rose or rarely purple colored with yellow spot at the base of lower lobe, 1.1-1.4 cm long; the upper lobe ovate, about 3 mm long and about 2 mm wide; the lower lobe with two rounded lobes, 0.9-1.1 cm long and 5-6 mm wide, with a very characteristic long appendage (0.9-1.3 cm long) elongating into the tubular lower sepal. Flower-stalks are 1.5-2 cm long, slender, hairless. Bracts are 3-4 mm long, narrowly ovate, pointed at tip. Stipulary glands many, thread-like, small, 1-2 mm on apical branches and usually two big prominent (upto 3 mm) at the base of leaf-stalk. Capsules are 1.5-3 cm long, unevenly linear, green with pale yellowish stripes, enclosing 2-6 seeds. Himalayan Pink-Tinged Balsam is native to West Himalaya to Central Nepal.