Family: Balsaminaceae
Origin, Description & Uses
Impatiens balsamina (balsam impatiens or garden balsam) is an annual flowering plant native to India and Sri Lanka, and more broadly cultivated across South and Southeast Asia. It is widely grown as an ornamental for its bright, showy flowers in shades of pink, purple, red, and white, and for its easy cultivation in warm climates. The plant is commonly used in garden beds and containers, and it also has a history of use in traditional practices, including folk remedies and natural dye production in some regions.
Risks & Threats
Although Impatiens balsamina is not known to be naturalized in Hawaiʻi, it does possess traits that are cause for concern. It produces seed capsules that can explosively disperse seeds, which can contribute to local spread and potential escape from cultivation under favorable conditions. In other tropical and subtropical regions, it has demonstrated weedy tendencies in disturbed areas. Caution is recommended to ensure that it does not negatively impact Hawaiʻi’s ecosystems, and further evaluation is needed to better understand its potential risk to the state.
High Risk Traits:
- Naturalized in Africa (Sierra Leone to Mozambique)
- Repeated introductions outside native range
- Congeneric weed (I. glandulifera weedy in Europe)
- Shade tolerant
- Produces viable seed
- Annual (1-year generative time)
- Seeds dispersed unintentionally (shoes)
- Seeds dispersed intentionally (garden ornamental)
- Wind-dispersed (explosive capsules)
- Prolific seed production (~46,000 seeds per ½ tsp)
Low Risk Traits:
- Not a garden, agricultural, or environmental weed
- Not allelopathic, parasitic, or toxic
- No spines, thorns, or burrs
- No fire hazard (succulent herb)
- Not climbing or smothering
- No vegetative reproduction (seeds only)
- No water, bird, or animal dispersal
- No persistent seed bank (seeds viable ≤2 years)
- Narrow soil requirement (moist, sandy, must stay wet)
- Susceptible to root knot nematode
