XXXI. GERANIACE^. 169 



Watt, Diet. Ecou. Prod. v. 1, p. 359.— Mowers : Mar.-May. Veen. 

 Bilimbi. 



Cultivated throughout the plains of India. The fruit is very acid when green, and 

 is made into pickles, &c. See Watt, Diet. Econ. Prod. 1. c. 



6. IMPATIENS, Linn. 



Annual or perennial herbs, rarely shrubby at the base, usually 

 glabrous. Leaves simple, variously arranged, exstipulate or witb stipular 

 glands at the base of the petiole. Flowers irregular, often handsome, 

 axillary, solitary or in racemes (less commonly in scapes), resupinate. 

 Sepals 3 (very rarely 5), coloi'ed, imbricate ; 2 anterior when present 

 minute ; 2 lateral small, flat, usually green ; posterior {lip) (anterior 

 in flower owing to inversion of the flower) large, petaloid, usually pro- 

 duced into a hollow spur. Petals 3 (or 5); anterior {standard) (posterior 

 in flower, outer in bud) erect ; lateral {wings) 2-lobed or composed of 2 

 united together. Stamens 5; filaments short, broad; anthers cohering. 

 Disk 0. Ovary oblong, 5-celled ; ovules many in each cell, 1-seriate ; 

 stigma sessile, 5-toothed. Capsule short or long, loculieidally dehiscent ; 

 valves 5, elastically springing away from a placentiferous axis. Seeds 

 smooth or tubercled, glabi'ous or hairy ; albumen ; embryo straight. — 

 DiSTRiB. A genus of about 135 species, the greater number natives of 

 the mountains of tropical Asia and Africa ; rare in temperate Europe, 

 N. America, N. Asia and S. Africa. 



Scapigerous ; rootstock tuberous, perennial ; flowers racemed. 

 Spur shorter than the flower or 0. 



Spur clavate, obtuse 1. I. Beddomei. 



Spur 2. I. Stocksii. 



Spur longer than the flower. 



Wings 2-partite 3. I. acaidis. 



Wings 3-partite 4. I. rivalis. 



Annual ; leaves all opjDosite or the upper (rarely all) whorled 

 in threes (never alternate). 



Spur as long as, or longer tlian the flower ; leaves all 

 opposite. 



Flowers ^-1 in. across; wings auricled at the base... 5. /. chincnsis. 



Flowers ^ in. aci-oss ; wings with long claws 6. /. Kleinii. 



Spur shorter than the flower or 0. 

 Flowers purple or rosy. 



Pedicels with a line of pubescence. 



Lip saccate ; leaves reaching 4 in 7. I. inconspicua. 



Lip boat-shaped; leaves not exceeding 1 in. ... 9. /. Lawii. 



Pedicels glabrous 8. /. oppositifolia. 



Pedicels rufous-hairy all over 11. /. tomentosa. 



Flowers yellow 10. 1. BalzdUi. 



Annual ; leaves subopposite and whorled. 



Tall, 2-3 ft. high ; flowers 1-1^ in. across \2. I. latifuUa. 



Short, 4-8 in. high ; flowers § in. across 13. /. lucida. 



Mostly annual ; leaves alternate, usually distant. 

 Spur long. 



Capsule tomentose 14. I. Balsamina. 



Capsule glabrous 16. /. pulchcrriina. 



Spur ; capsule villous 15. I. scabriuscula. 



1. Impatiens Beddomei, Hooh.f. in Fl. B. I. v. 1, p. 442. Eoot- 

 stock tuberous, perennial ; scape about 1 ft. high. Leaves 1-|— 3 in. in 

 diam., all radical, fleshy, orbicular and reuiform, cordate, with distant 



