Impatiens hawkeri

Impatiens hawkeri
Specimen with red flowers located in Brazil
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Balsaminaceae
Genus:	Impatiens
Species:	I. hawkeri
Binomial name
Impatiens hawkeri W.Bull

Impatiens hawkeri, the New Guinea impatiens, is a species of flowering plant in the family Balsaminaceae. It is native to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. ^[1] It has been bred and hybridized in cultivation to produce a line of garden plants.

Cultivation

It was first collected in the Territory of Papua in 1884 and soon became popular as a greenhouse plant. After its discovery, fifteen other similar New Guinea taxa were collected, all of which were later determined to be forms of I. hawkeri. ^[2]

Plants with a great variety of flower and leaf colours are sold in nurseries. ^[3] The species has been crossed with Impatiens aurantiaca and I. platypetala to improve characteristics such as drought resistance. ^[4]

Gallery

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  Specimen
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  Flowers and leaves
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  Flowers and leaves
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  Orange flower

References

1. "Impatiens hawkeri". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 25 January 2018.
2. Morgan, Raymond F. (2007). Impatiens: the vibrant world of Busy Lizzies, Balsams, and Touch-me-nots . Portland, Or: Timber Press. pp.  53–54. ISBN   978-0-88192-852-5.
3. Starr, F. and K. Starr. Impatiens hawkeri (New Guinea impatiens). Plants of Hawaii. Starr Environmental.
4. Stephens, L. C. (1998). Formation of unreduced pollen by an Impatiens hawkeri × platypetala interspecific hybrid. Hereditas 128(3) 251-55.