Impatiens walleriana Hook.f, Balsaminaceae

Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES

Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Low risk (based on second screen), score: 6 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: su dan feng xian hua

English: Japanese balsam, balsam, bizzy-lizzie, busy lizzy, garden impatiens, impatiens, patience plant, patient lucy, snapweed, sultan's balsam, sultan's flower, sultana, zanzibar balsam

French: balsamine sauvage, impatiens

Samoan: patiale

Spanish: balsamina, chino, mírame lindo

Tongan: polosomo

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Herb, perennial or annual, to 90 cm high (36 in) with weak, succulent stems.  Leaves simple, alternate, blade elliptic to ovate, 4-12 cm long (1 5/8 - 5 in) with toothed margins and a long petiole bearing stalked glands.  Flowers continuously through the year; flowers one to three, borne in short-stalked, axillary clusters, each flower with a curved, nectar-filled spur 3-5 cm long (1 1/4 -2 in).  Corolla rotate, two-sided, with five free obovate petals mostly 1.8-3 cm long (3/4- 1 1/4 in), often notched at the tip, white, pine, red, or purple, with the purple stamens united to form a hood over the ovary.  Fruit a glabrous ovoid capsule 1.5-2.5 cm long (5/8 - 1 in), opening explosively to eject the seeds"  (Whistler, 2000; pp. 270-271).

"Succulent, flat-topped perennial herbs 0.3-1 m tall.  Leaves often greenish or reddish green on both surfaces, alternate or the uppermost sometimes opposite, lanceolate or ovate to elliptic-oblong, 3-10 cm long, margins crenate-denticulate.  Flowers solitary or in axillary or terminal racemes, red, reddish-orange, pine, purple, white, or variegated, the spur usually 2.5-3.2 cm long."  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 380).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "naturalized in relatively moist, often shaded sites" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 380).  In Australia, colonizes forest margins, displacing native fern communities around waterfalls, and naturalizes in riparian habitats and other moist areas in southeastern Queensland (Tucker and Guymer, cited in Csurhes and Edwards, 1998; p. 112).

Propagation:  Seed and cuttings (Csurhes and Edwards, 1998; p. 112).

Native range:  Eastern and southern tropical Africa; also cultivated; widely naturalized in tropic, subtropic and warm-temperate regions (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced cultivated	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (pp. 486, 532, 554) Voucher cited: Danton I(5/140)1486. "De introducción reciente en los jardines del pueblo de San Juan Bautista son plantas que deben ser vigiladas muy de cerca".
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Rota Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 150)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island	cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2013)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Isabela Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcán Sierra Negra, Isabela Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy (2010) (p. 13)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 630) Vouchers cited: Smith 5021, DA 16769
French Polynesia Gambier Islands	Mangareva (Gambier) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Gambier Islands	Taravai Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Hiva Oa Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Moorea Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Raivavae (Raevavae) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Rurutu Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Tubuai Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 44)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 380)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 380)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 380)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 380)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 380) Voucher cited: Neal s. n. (BISH)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. (1999) (p. 99)
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Majuro (Mãjro) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy (2003) (p. 73)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced cultivated	Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. (1994) (p. 103)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 20) Vouchers cited: Guillaumin & Baumann 10534, MacKee 20614, Fukuoka et al. 196, MacKee 45780 Spontané
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 101)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Koror (Oreor) Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 150)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Koror (Oreor) Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 97)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Koror (Oreor) Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Lorence, David H./LaRosa, Anne Marie (2009) (p. 64)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Ngerkebesang Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 97)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 112)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced invasive cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Coastal forest areas, riverine thickets, river margins, shaded places, humid places, also cultivated in gardens and greenhouses; ca. 1800 m. Guangdong, Hebei.
China China	Hong Kong	introduced invasive cultivated	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 203) Cultivated or naturalized ornamental.
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 50) Cultivated only

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Très envahissant"
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Invasive Species Specialist Group (2017)

Comments:  Naturalized on basalt soils in northern Queensland (Csurhes and Edwards, 1998; p. 112).

Control:  If you know of control methods for Impatiens walleriana, please let us know.