Impatiens repens, Balsaminaceae
It’s been some time, but in September I wrote a few posts about some different Impatiens species, and the last was an unusual one, so here’s another to continue on that tangent. Creeping balsam is a tropical evergreen perennial native to Sri Lanka where, as the common name suggests, it either grows sprawling over the ground or climbing up trees in the dappled shade of the rain forest. Its red succulent stems covered in tiny fleshy leaves bear numerous yellow hooded flowers, in the shape characteristic of the genus and highly successful at attracting pollinators. In Scotland and all cool-temperate areas it could only be grown at its best under glass in a humid environment, while it is a beautiful ground cover option for shady areas for the lucky ones who own a tropical garden -although it might be a better idea to place it in a hanging basket to control its spread and avoid the risk of another Impatiens going full on invasive where it shouldn’t! The photos of this beautiful little specimen are obviously from Glasgow Botanic Gardens.Â
