GERANIACE.ft. 



173 



A numerous genus, chiefly East Indian, with a few North American 

 species. 



Flowers yellow. Spur of the calyx loosely bent back, and entire 1. Yellow B. 

 Flowers orange-brown. Spurs closely bent back upon the calyx, 



and notched at the extremity 2. Orange B. 



Several East Indian species are cultivated for their flowers, and 

 amongst them the well-known garden Balsam (I. Balsamina), whose 

 flowers become double with great readiness. 



1. Yellow Balsam. 



Impatiens BToli-me-tangere, Linn. 



(Fig. 216.) 



(Eng. Bot. t. 937. Touch-me-not.) 



An erect, glabrous, branching annual, 

 1 to 2 feet high ; the stem rather suc- 

 culent, and swollen at the nodes. Leaves 

 stalked, ovate, pointed, toothed, of a 

 pale green, and very flaccid. Peduncles 

 axillary, slender, bearing one or two per- 

 fect flowers, which are large and showy, 

 yellow, spotted with orange ; the hooded 

 sepal ending a long spur, curved upwards, 

 and bent back upon the flower. These 

 flowers seldom set their seed in this 

 country ; the pods are chiefly produced 

 by minute, imperfect flowers, of which i 

 there are several on the same peduncles 

 as the perfect ones. 



In moist woods and shady places, in 

 the hilly districts of Europe and Russian 

 Asia, extending northwards into Scan- 

 dinavia. In Britain, chiefly in northern 

 England and North Wales, extending neither into Scotland nor Ire- 

 land. Fl. summer, till rather late. 



Fig. 216. 



2. Orange Balsam. Impatiens fulva, Nutt. (Fig. 217.) 



(Eng. Bot. Suppl. t. 2794.) 

 An annual, closely resembling the yellow B., except that the flowers 



