How to identify New guinea impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri)

How to identify New guinea impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri)

New guinea impatiens exhibits a mounding growth habit, reaching heights of 6 to 20 inches (15 to 50 cm). This annual sports a profusion of vibrant flowers, each distinctively marked by an elongated spur at its base. The lush foliage forms a dense canopy, creating a striking visual contrast with the ornate blossoms.

Lifespan: Perennial, Annual

Plant Type: Herb

Leaf Type: Deciduous

Quickly Identify New guinea impatiens

Vibrant flowers with elongated spurs, measuring 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) in diameter.

Distinctively ribbed, explosive capsules with a rolling mechanism for seed dispersal.

Variegated leaves with crenate margins and prominent veins, ranging from 2 to 6 inches (5 to 15 cm).

Detailed Traits of New guinea impatiens

Leaf Features

New guinea impatiens has leaves that range from opposite to whorled arrangement, with shapes varying from ovate to elliptic or lanceolate. Their margins are crenate with minute stalked glands and edges turning upward. The tips are acute to subacuminate. Leaf color can be green, often tinged with bronze or purple, and sometimes variegated. The size typically varies from 2 to 6 inches (5 to 15 cm) in length. Veins are prominent, providing a distinct texture to the leaves.

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Flower Features

New guinea impatiens flowers are solitary on elongated pedicels, each prominently spurred. The calyx has 5 lobes with 2 lateral lobes that are green, broad oval, and acuminate. Petals exhibit vibrant anthocyanin pigments, adding rich hues. The flowers are moderately sized, approximately 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) in diameter. Petal arrangement is symmetrical, contributing to its ornate appearance. Typically, these flowers bloom in the warmer months, emitting a faint but pleasant scent.

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Stem Features

The stem of new guinea impatiens is suberect to decumbent, meaning it may grow upright or spread along the ground. It exhibits a branching pattern and can support numerous lateral shoots. The texture is smooth, and the stem is generally a light green to reddish color. Typically, stems are medium-thick, measuring about 0.1 to 0.5 inches (0.25 to 1.3 cm) in diameter. The stem also features prominent nodes from which leaves and branches emerge, aiding in its identification.

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Fruit Features

The fruit of new guinea impatiens is a distinctive, explosive capsule with a unique mechanism that rolls inward suddenly when ripe. The surface of these fruits features a notable ribbed pattern and they possess a rubbery-succulent texture that is uncommon among other fruits. The coloration of these capsules typically aligns with the overall palette of the plant, often presenting in subtle, earthy tones that blend with their natural surroundings. The capsules are relatively modest in size, and the rolling action serves to disperse the seeds effectively within the immediate vicinity. This characteristic is an essential aspect for recognition and understanding of new guinea impatiens's reproductive strategy.

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New guinea impatiens and Their Similar Plants

Busy lizzie vs. New guinea impatiens: What's The Difference?

The long-lasting blooms of busy lizzie are a riot of color. The flowers generally range from vibrant purple to orange. Some of the flowers are used for hair coloring and dyes. Its genus name, Impatiens, comes from the word "impatiens" or "impatient" in Latin because the seed pods are often in a rush to open up.

Spotted touch-me-not vs. New guinea impatiens: What's The Difference?

The spotted touch-me-not is a wildflower that is native to North America with bright orange flowers that have darker orange or red spots. The spotted touch-me-not gets its “touch me not” name because when seed pods are mature, the lightest touch caused them to expel their seeds in a reaction called dehiscence.

Garden balsam vs. New guinea impatiens: What's The Difference?

Garden balsam has been a favorite for European gardens since the Victorian era, although its flatter-flowered cousin has become increasingly more popular. The garden balsam attracts pollinators as well as nectar-feeding birds. The genus name, "Impatiens," which means, "impatient," references the plant's tendency to explosively throw its seeds away from itself.

Yellow jewelweed vs. New guinea impatiens: What's The Difference?

Yellow jewelweed (Impatiens pallida) is a plant species that grows in Canada and the United States in wet soils. Yellow jewelweed blooms during midsummer and through the fall. Its flowers are almost completely pollinated by bees, which are attracted to their nectar.

Poor man's rhododendron vs. New guinea impatiens: What's The Difference?

Poor man's rhododendron (Impatiens sodenii) is a perennial subshrub that flowers year-round. The stems are woody at their base, but become succulent higher up. Though originally hailing from Tanzania and Kenya, it has been cultivated all over the world for ornamental purposes, becoming naturalized in Australia and weedy in New Zealand.

Impatiens arguta vs. New guinea impatiens: What's The Difference?

Impatiens arguta is a genus of more than 1,000 species of flowering plants, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and the tropics. Plant size varies dependent of the species from five centimetres to 2.5 meters. Stems are often rooting when becoming in contact with the soil. The leaves are entire, often dentate or sinuate with extra floral nectaries. The zygomorph flowers of Impatiens are protandric. The calyx consists of five free sepals, of which one pair is oft strongly reduced. The non-paired sepal forms a flower spur producing nectar.

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Key Facts About New guinea impatiens

Attributes of New guinea impatiens

Lifespan

Perennial, Annual

Plant Type

Herb

Plant Height

20 cm to 60 cm

Spread

15 cm to 30 cm

Leaf Color

Green

Flower Size

4 cm to 7 cm

Flower Color

White

Pink

Red

Orange

Purple

Lavender

Burgundy

Fruit Color

Brown

Red

Green

Stem Color

Green

Red

Brown

Leaf type

Deciduous

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Scientific Classification of New guinea impatiens

Phylum

Class

Order

Family

Genus

Species

New guinea impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri)

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Distribution Map of New guinea impatiens

New guinea impatiens is native to some island nations in Indonesia. It has been introduced to Central America and thrives in the damp, mountainous forests of these regions, often near rivers or streams.

Native

Cultivated

Invasive

Potentially invasive

Exotic

No species reported

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A Comprehensive Guide to New guinea impatiens How to Grow and Care for New guinea impatiens