748 



BALSAMINE^E. I. BALSAMINA. 



plants are of sufficient size, they should be planted out into the 

 open border, in a sheltered situation, where they will no doubt 

 ripen their seed. 



ORDER LVI. BALSAMI'NE^E (plants agreeing with Bal- 

 samina in important characters). A. Rich. diet, class. 2. p. 173. 

 D. C. prod. 1. p. 685. Impatiens, Lin. gen. no. 1008. Bal- 

 samina, Tourn. inst. 418. t. 235. Juss. gen. 270. Gaert. fruct. 

 2. p. 151. t. 113. 



Calyx of 2 sepals ; sepals small, deciduous, opposite, usually 

 mucronate, imbricate in aestivation. Petals 4, hypogynous, cru- 

 ciate, 2 outer ones alternating with the sepals, ending in a callous 

 tip, upper one arched and emarginate, lower one entire, drawn 

 out into a spur at the base ; 2 inner petals alternating with the 

 outer ones, more petal-like and equal with each other, usually 

 bifid or appendiculate. Stamens 5, hypogynous, closely gird- 

 ing the ovary ; filaments short, thickened at the apex ; anthers 

 rather connate, 3 lower ones opposite the petals, ovate, 2- 

 celled, 2 superior ones rising in front of the upper petal ; these 

 are sometimes 1 -celled, sometimes 2-celled. Anthers bursting 

 lengthwise. Ovary 1. Style wanting; stigmas 5, distinct or 

 connected into 1, sessile and short. Capsule oblong or ovate, 

 5-valved ; valves separating with elasticity ; central placenta 

 ending in a slender thread, which adheres to the stigmas as 

 in Caryophylleae, 5-angled ; angles membranous, touching the 

 intervalvular sutures, and therefore the young capsule is 5- 

 celled, but 1 -celled above the placenta. Seeds fixed to the 

 placenta, pendulous, many in each cell, ovate-oblong, exalbu- 

 minous. Embryo straight, with a superior radicle. Cotyledons 

 flat on the inside and convex on the outside. Tender herbs, 

 with alternate or opposite, exstipulate, feather-nerved, toothed 

 leaves. Peduncles axillary. M. de Candolle remarks that the 

 flowers are those of Fumariacece, the capsules of O'xaKs, the 

 seeds of Linum, and the habit peculiar. The well-known elastic 

 spring with which the seeds are ejected, constitutes a principal 

 character of this order. It differs from Tropaeolece in the calyx 

 being of 2 sepals, in the structure of the corolla and capsule, 

 and from Oxalidece in the structure of flowers. All the spe- 

 cies are remarkable for the singularity and varied colours of 

 their blossoms. 



Synopsis of the genera. 



1 BALSAMI'NA. Anthers 5, 2-celled. Stigmas 5, distinct. 

 Valves of capsule bending inwards elastically at the apex. Pe- 

 duncles 1-flowered. 



! TYTONIA. Anthers and stigmas as in Impatiens. Berry 

 almost globular, 5-grooved, succulent, smooth, containing 5 hard, 

 nut-like seeds, lapping over each other at both ends. Peduncles 

 axillary, 1-3-flowered. 



3 IMPA'TIENS. Anthers 5, 3 of which are 2-celled, and the 

 2 in front of the upper petal 1-celled. Stigmas 5, joined. Valves 

 of capsule revolute, inwardly from the base to the apex. Pe- 

 duncles axillary, branched, many-flowered. 



I. BALSAMFNA (from balsamum, balsam ; Fuchs says this 



name is given because a balsam is made from the plant which 

 is said to cure wounds ; it is, however, called balassan by the 

 Arabs, which is most likely to be the primitive of Balsamlna). 

 Riv. irr. tetr. with a figure. D. C. prod. 1. p. 685. 



LIN. SYST. Pentandria, Monogynia. Anthers 5, all 2-celled. 

 Stigmas 5, distinct. Capsules ovate ; valves at maturity bend- 

 ing inwards elastically at the apex. Cotyledons thick. Pedi- 

 cels always 1-flowered, solitary, or aggregate. Capsules pube- 

 rulous. Flowers easily changed to double in the gardens. 



$ 1. Pedicels train or aggregate. Leaves alternate. 



1 B. HORTE'NSIS (Desp. diet. sc. nat. 3. p. 485.) pedicels ag- 

 gregate ; leaves lanceolate, serrated, lower ones opposite ; spur 

 shorter than the flower. () F. Native of the East Indies, 

 China, Cochin-china, and Japan. Impatiens balsamina, Lin. 

 spec. 1328. Mill. fig. t. 59. Blackw. t. 583. The varieties 

 of this elegant plant, which cultivation has produced, are nu- 

 merous, white, rose-coloured, red, purple, striped, and varie- 

 gated with these colours, single and double of each. Mr. Miller 

 speaks particularly of two remarkable varieties, which probably 

 belong to one or other of the species. The first he calls the 

 Immortal Eagle, a most beautiful plant, from the East Indies ; 

 the flowers of it are double, and much larger than those of the 

 common kind, scarlet and white or purple and white, very nu- 

 merous. The second kind he calls the Cockspur, introduced 

 from the West Indies, which has single flowers as large as the 

 other, but never more than semidouble, striped with red and 

 white ; this is apt to grow to a great size before it flowers, 

 which is very late in the autumn, so that in bad seasons there 

 will be hardly any flowers, and the seeds seldom ripen. Dr. 

 Wallich found this species, or one very closely allied to it, on 

 Chundrugiri and atThankote in the East Indies. The Japanese 

 are said to use the juice with alum for dyeing their nails red. 



Common Garden Balsam. Fl. July, Oct. Clt. 1596. PI. 

 1 to 2 feet. 



2 B. COCCINEA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 685.) pedicels aggregate; 

 leaves oblong-oval, serrated ; petioles with many glands ; spur 

 incurved, about equal in length to the flower. Q. F. Native 

 of the East Indies. Impatiens coccinea, Sims, bot. mag. t. 1256. 

 Flowers scarlet, streaked with white. 



.Scarfei-flowered Balsam. Fl. June, Sept. Clt. 1808. PI. 

 1 to 2 feet. 



3 B. CORNU^TA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 686.) pedicels aggregate ; 

 leaves lanceolate, serrated ; spur much longer than the flower. 

 O- F. Native of Ceylon and Cochin-china. Burm. zeyl. 41. 

 t. 16. f. 1. Impatiens cornuta, Lin. spec. 1328. Leaves dusky 

 green, sweet smelling. Flowers purple or white, with the spur 

 somewhat bowed. Capsules ovate, hispid. The Ceylonese call 

 this species Kudaelu-kola, from kudaelu, a swallow, kola, a leaf. 

 The inhabitants of Cochin-china use a decoction of the leaves 

 as a wash to their head and hair, to which it gives a very sweet 

 odour. 



Horned Balsam. Fl. July, Sept. Clt. 1826. PI. 1 foot. 



4 B. MYSORE'NSIS (D. C. prod. 1. p. 686.) pedicels twin; 

 leaves oblong-lanceolate, remotely-toothed ; stem simple, fili- 

 form ; spur straight, shorter than the flower. O- F. Native 

 of Mysore in the East Indies. Impatiens Mysordnsis, Roth, 

 in Rcem. et Schult. syst. 5. p. 348. Flowers small, red. 



Mysore Balsam. Fl. July, Sept. Clt. 1820. PI. i to 1ft. 



5 B. SCABRIU'SCULA ; plant villous ; leaves cuneately-lanceo- 

 late, acute, with pointed serratures, tapering to the base ; flowers 

 axillary, twin, villous, spurless. 0. F. Native of the East 

 Indies. Impatiens scabriuscula, Heyne, in Roxb. fl. ind. 2. p. 

 404. This is a small branching species. 



Roughish Balsam. PI. 1 foot. 



