img

Impatiens walleriana

Hook.f. (1868)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Asterids Order: Ericales Family: Balsaminaceae Genus: Impatiens

busy lizzy, impatiens, patient lucy, snapweed

img

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Succulent perennial herbs 0.3–1 m tall; flat–topped.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate or the uppermost sometimes opposite. Blades lanceolate or ovate to elliptic–oblong, 3–10 cm long. Surfaces usually glabrous, often greenish or reddish green on both surfaces. Margins crenate–denticulate. Petioles 1.5-6 cm, with 1 or 2, rarely few, stipitate glands. Stipules absent or consisting of a pair of petiolar glands.

Flowers: Flowers solitary or in axillary or terminal racemes. Flowers bisexual (perfect), strongly irregular. The spur usually 2.5–3.2 cm long. Calyx of 3 sepals, rarely 5, the upper 2 small and usually green, the lower one petaloid, asymmetrically funnelform, usually with a long nectariferous spur. Corolla of 5 petals; petals red, reddish orange, pink, purple, white, or variegated. Stamens 5, connate into a short tube: filaments flat, connate above; anthers dithecal, introrse, short, connate or coherent, forming a cap over the ovary, the sporogenous tissue divided into packets by a transverse partition. Ovary superior, 5-celled; placentation axile; ovules several to many per cell, pendulous and apotropous or anatropous; style 1, short; stigma 1 or 5.

Fruit: Capsules explosively dehiscent; loculicidal; the valves rubbery and becoming twisted in dehiscence. Seeds with endosperm scanty.

Ploidy: 2n = 17

Habitat: naturalized in relatively moist; often shaded sites.

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Images

img

Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Lana'i Not in flora
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents

Wind

Pollinators

Notes

  • 1939 on Oahu
  • Description digitized by Pumehana
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • succulent; Native from Tanzania to Mozambique, commonly cultivated with many cultivars having been developed

Bibliography

Name Published In: D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 1: 302 (1868)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:380 (K, O, Mo, L, M, H [as I. wallerana]); Staples & Herbst 2005:172 (KEY, DESCR); Faccenda, Arthur, et al. 2025:163 (remove L [no evidence of nat.]); IPNI 2025 (spelling change to walleriana)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Impatiens walleriana BYU-HC Slope=0 degrees, Soil=silty loam. Common ornamental. Preserved_Specimen Herb to 2 ft. high. Delicate succulent stems and leaves, red to purple flowers. Afualo, D. 99 Oahu BISH 1975-03-21
2 Impatiens walleriana Kilauea, Hawaii National Park, Park residence area Preserved_Specimen Herb with succulent stem; flower red-pink-rose. Fagerlund, G.O. 120 Hawaii BISH 1942-11-02
3 Impatiens walleriana Kokee, Berry Flat trail, near start of trail off Mohihi road Acacia koa - Metrosideros mesic forest With Xylosma hawaiiense, Elaeocarpus bifidus, Melicope clusiifolia, Coprosma waimeae, Psychotria mariniana, Ilex anomala, Cheirodendron, Melicope anisata, Dodonaea viscosa, Rubus argutus Preserved_Specimen Herb 3-4 ft ht with flowers Perlman, S. 22469 Kauai BISH 2011-03-15
4 Impatiens walleriana Honolulu: Harrison Area; by old stable site Semi-shady, wet. Preserved_Specimen Flowers red. Common weed. Baker, R.F. 87 Oahu BISH 1975-04-25
5 Impatiens walleriana Wahiawa, 1576 Glen Ave Common in gardens. Soil=red clay. Preserved_Specimen Herb. Pink flower with long curving spur. Elia, H.V.K. 42 Oahu BISH 1971-04-12
6 Impatiens walleriana Honolulu; Harrison area. By old stable site semi-shady, wet. Preserved_Specimen Flowers red. Common weed. Baker, R.F. 87 Oahu BISH 1975-04-25
7 Impatiens walleriana H.L.Lyon Arboretum Preserved_Specimen Herb of green foliage, double, rose-colored flower. (double-pink). Herbst, D.R. 5649 Oahu BISH 1976-02-16
8 Impatiens walleriana East Maui, Pua o Entabeni, HC 1 370 Hana Hwy, Haiku Preserved_Specimen Annual to 0.7m; flowers pink. Annable, C.R. 3158 Maui BISH 1996-11-23
9 Impatiens walleriana H.L.Lyon Arboretum Preserved_Specimen Foliage green above, purple spotted below. Flower red, double. Herbst, D.R. 5651 Oahu BISH 1976-02-16
10 Impatiens walleriana H.L.Lyon Arboretum Volunteer. Preserved_Specimen Succulent herb to 2 ft. Flowers dark to light pink, orange, scarlet, corolla 1.5 inches diam; spurred. Leaves narrow ovate, toothed. Ishikawa, S. 123 Oahu BISH 1972-07-17
11 Impatiens walleriana H.L.Lyon Arboretum Preserved_Specimen Herb with green foliage, single, white flowers. Herbst, D.R. 5652 Oahu BISH 1976-02-16
12 Impatiens walleriana East Maui, Kaapahu along Donkey Trail along Alalele stream. Preserved_Specimen Welton, P. 2335 Maui BISH 2013-01-10
13 Impatiens walleriana H.L.Lyon Arboretum Preserved_Specimen Herb with purplish-green foliage; purple spotches on undersurface of leaf. Flower red-purple, double. Herbst, D.R. 5650 Oahu BISH 1976-02-16
14 Impatiens walleriana Honolulu, 42 Coelho Way Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1939-08-15
15 Impatiens walleriana Kokee, Plew garden Preserved_Specimen Plews, J.H.R. Kauai BISH 1986-10-23
16 Impatiens walleriana Koloa District: Kalaheo. Yard of house on Kaloke Street Ornamental and spontaneous locally. Preserved_Specimen Herb 30-50 cm. Tall, branched from the base, stems succulent. Flowers deep irridescent pinkish-purple, not fragrant (11 am). Lorence, D.H. 6395 Kauai BISH 1989-11-05
17 Impatiens walleriana Windward Koolau Mountains, Waiahole Valley, near water tunnel entering Uwau Stream Growing in streambed in dense shade. Preserved_Specimen Flowers pink. Wagner, W.L. 5500 Oahu BISH 1984-12-02
18 Impatiens walleriana Koloa District: Kalaheo. Near end of Puuwai Road below Meideros chicken farm Naturalized plants. (Appears to be naturalized from garden clippings.) Preserved_Specimen Herb of two ft. with succulent stems. Flowers dark orange-pink. Flynn, T.W. 1945 Kauai BISH 1986-11-17
19 Impatiens walleriana Waimea Audubon Center, Waimea Valley, Oahu, Hawaii Growing in drainage area, very wet, with taro. Preserved_Specimen Herbaceous, fleshy plant, alternate lvs, white to pink to purple petals. Crago, L.M. 2005201 Oahu BISH 2005-10-18
20 Impatiens walleriana BYU-HC Soil=loamy. Partially sunny; numerous. Preserved_Specimen Trees and shrubs. Loyd, L. 16 Oahu BISH 1977-03-07
21 Impatiens walleriana Laie, Mormon Temple Soil = loam. Preserved_Specimen A branching smoth, succulent, perennial herb. The petals spread in one plane and are accompanied by a long spur flower white or pink. Lee, P. 12 Oahu BISH 1975-03-02
22 Impatiens walleriana Kanealole Trail just below where trail becomes Na Ala Hele Trail. West bank of the Kanealole Stream. In grassy streamlet along hiking trail. With Arthrostemma ciliatum, Musca sp., Begonia, Citharexylum, Xanthosoma, Christella parasitica, an introduced Erythrina tree, and Cissus verticillata. Preserved_Specimen Short herb with Medium Rose (Color 233, G. Köhler 2012) to Rose Pink (C 243) flowers. Roughly 6 individuals. Walvoord, N. 2022034 Oahu BISH 2022-12-10
23 Impatiens walleriana Hauula Slope=flat; Soil=loam. Scattered. Grows only where planted. Preserved_Specimen Shrub, Dark violet flower. Hai, N. 15 Oahu BISH 1975-04-02
24 Impatiens walleriana Honolulu, the residence of Betty Ho, 3785 Old Pali Rd Bedded in partial shade. Preserved_Specimen Am herb with stems straggling. Flowers a combination of white and magenta; odorless (morning). Lau, J. 2265 Oahu BISH 1986-04-21
25 Impatiens walleriana Laie, BYU-HC Soil=Kaolite clay w/sand layer underneath. Ornamental. Preserved_Specimen Small shrubby herb. Scarlet, pink or white flower colors. Lee, J. 8 Oahu BISH 1981-11-09
26 Impatiens walleriana Foster Botanic Garden In dappled shade underneath a tree; growing as a volunteer. Preserved_Specimen An herb 0.8 m. tall. Topside of petal rose pink. Bottomside of petal white with a little light pink. Flower has a dark pink center. Lau, J. 1589 Oahu BISH 1985-11-04
27 Impatiens walleriana Ranae Ganske Property, Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii Growing at water tank overflow area, very wet. Preserved_Specimen Herbaceous, pink to purple flowers. Crago, L.M. 2005192 Maui BISH 2005-08-11
28 Impatiens walleriana Koolaupoko distr., Waimanalo, Kakaina St. Shaded understory along stream, growing on banks in deep shade on moist red clay soil. Preserved_Specimen Low herbaceous plants with colorful flowers (red, pinkish, purplish) and soft-succulent brittle stems. Young fruits just forming. Staples, G.W. 1225 Oahu BISH 2005-02-17
29 Impatiens walleriana Laie, BYU-HC Soil=kaloiad clay. Grassland. Temperate and tropical. Preserved_Specimen Perennial Shrub. Flower pink or white, have spur. Wong, A. Oahu BISH 1980-10-18
Back to Top