Tas. 8029. 
IMPATIENS Hotstt. 
= . 
Hast Tropical Africa. 
GERANIACEA. ‘Tribe BALSAMINEA 
Impatiens, Linn.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. i. p. 277. 
Impatiens Holstii, Hugl. et Warb. in Engl. Pflanzenw. Ost-Afr. C. p. 254; 
Bull. Soc. Tose. Ort. 1904, p. 339, f. 23; species ex affinitate I. Sultani 
(B. M. t. 6643), a qua foliis latioribus et floribus majoribus vere 
miniatis differt. - 
Frutex subcarnosus, 2-3 ped. altus fere undique glaber, ramis rubro-striatis. 
Folia alterna, longe petiolata, ovata vel superiora lanceolata, cum 
petiolo sxepius 3-4 poll. longa, acuta, crenata, inter crenas unisetosa, 
utrinque pracipue secus costam venasque parcissime puberula, venis 
primariis lateralibus utrinque circiter 7 sat conspicuis. Fores axillares, 
solitarii vel pedunculis interdum bifloris, 15-1? poll. diametro, plani; 
pedunculi quam folia breviores. Sepala 3, lateralia lineari-acuta, 
circiter lineam longa. Sepalum calcaratum limbo ovato apiculato, 
caleare tenui 13-1} poll. longo. Vevillum late obcordatum, dorso cari- 
natum. Petula lateralia fere bipartita; segmenta oblique obovato- 
spathulata, rotundata. Capsu/a ignota. 
Impatiens Holstit was purchased for Kew in 1894. It 
is a native of Usambara and Kilimandjaro, growing on the 
banks of streams in the tropical forest at altitudes of 2,500 
to 5,000 feet. Very similar to J. Sultani, it bids fair to 
surpass that species, both in habit and the brilliancy of 
its flowers, which are produced almost continuously. 
Several of the African species are very ornamental, and 
have improved greatly under cultivation. J. Oliveri (B. M. 
t. 7960) is a remarkable instance. Last season it suc- 
ceeded very well in the open border, attaining considerable 
dimensions, and as a greenhouse plant it is invaluable, 
requiring little care. In the spring of the present year 
there was at Kew a plant, twelve months old from a 
cutting, four feet high and twelve feet in circumference, 
bearing about thirty clusters of flowers at one time. The 
largest flowers were almost three inches in diameter, and 
both in colour and shape strongly resemble those of 
Miltonia veaillaria. 
The purple, oblong, very small, reticulated pollen- 
grains of [. Holstii are very beautiful under a microscope. 
Their dimensions are about *0018 x ‘0008 of an inch. 
Avcust lst, 1905, 
