Impatiens pallida - (image 1 of 6)
Taxonomy
Family: Balsaminaceae
Habitat
Mesic woods, shaded floodplains.
Associates
Distribution
New England and adjacent Canada, west to MN and and Dakotas, south GA to OK.
Morphology
Annual to 5'. Leaves mostly alternate but sometimes opposite, simple, ovate, cuneate, on distinct petioles, the teeth broadly rounded and mucronate, those of flowering branches usually more than 8cm long. Stems glabrous, translucent, succulent. Flowers pale yellow, the fully developed spur less than 6mm long. Fruit a capsule that explodes when mature; seeds brown.
Notes
Flowers early July to late September
Wetland indicator: Facultative wetland
Pale forms of I. capensis could be confused for this species, but the spur of the former is never more than 6mm long. The leaves and flowers of I. pallida also tend to be a little larger, and it is rarely found in open sunny locations.
References
Dirr, Michael A. 1998. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants:
Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses.
5th ed. Champaign, Illiois: Stipes Publishing L.L.C.
Swink, F. and G. Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago Region.
Indiana Academy of Science. The Morton Arboretum. Lisle, Illinois.
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Michael Hough © 2005 |