Blue Flowered Impatiens

The flowers are used medicinally for dissolving clots, promoting diuresis, and treating abdominal pain, postpartum blood stasis, carbuncles, and difficulty in urination.

Plants perennial, to 70 cm tall. Stem erect, rigid, branched. Leaves alternate; petiole 1-4 cm; leaf blade ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 4-15 × 2-4.5 cm, often with 2 stipitate basal glands, glabrous, lateral veins 7 or 8 pairs, base cuneate, margin sharply serrate, apex acute or acuminate. Inflorescences axillary, 1- or 2-flowered; peduncles very short. Pedicels long, slender, often with 2 setose bracts at base. Flowers pink or purple-red, large or medium-sized. Lateral sepals 4; outer 2: subovate, apex long cuspidate; inner 2: narrowly lanceolate. Lower sepal saccate, narrowed into an incurved, short spur. Upper petal orbicular, apex mucronulate, abaxial midvein narrowly carinate; lateral united petals not clawed, 2-lobed; basal lobes broadly oblong; distal lobes dolabriform, large, apex 2-fid; auricle conspicuous. Anthers obtuse. Capsule fusiform. Seeds few, globose, slightly shiny. Fl. Jul-Sep. 2n = 18, 20.

E. Himalaya (E. Nepal to Bhutan), Assam, S. Tibet, Burma, W. China (var.).

SW Sichuan, E Xizang, C and NW Yunnan [Bhutan, NE India, Myanmar, Nepal].

2100-2900 m

Forest understories, thickets, grasslands in valleys, along canals, moist places; 1800-3200 m.

Impatiens arguta var. bulleyana J. D. Hooker; I. gagei J. D. Hooker; I. namchabarwensis R. Morgan et al.; I. taliensis Lingelsheim & Borza.

Impatiens arguta, the toothed busy lizzie, is a species of flowering plant in the balsam family Balsaminaceae. It is native to Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, India and China. This herbaceous perennial grows to 30 cm (12 in) tall and broad, with an erect habit. It has deeply-veined, elliptic, slightly toothed leaves. Delicate lavender-blue or pink flowers appear in summer. As with other Impatiens species, the stems and leaves are succulent and fleshy.

This plant is cultivated as an ornamental. Although hardy to −10 °C (14 °F), it requires a sheltered position in full or partial shade, and a protective mulch in winter. Plants may become evergreen in warmer climates. It grows in moist places, forest understories and thickets.