Appearance
Impatiens glandulifera is a succulent annual that can be 3-10 ft. (0.9-3 m) tall. The stems are purple-tinged, hollow, and hexagonally angled.

Foliage
The foliage is opposite or whorled. Leaves are lanceolate to lance-ovate with acuminate tips. Leaves are simple, serrate and 6 in. (15.2 cm) long.

Flowers
Flowering occurs from June to October. The pink, irregular, solitary flowers appear on axillary stalks.

Fruit
Fruits are five chambered capsules that, when mature, explode expelling seeds forcefully. Each plant produces about 800 seeds.

Ecological Threat
Impatiens glandulifera occurs in areas with high soil moisture, such as riparian areas. It is tall for an annual plant, has a fast growth rate, reseeds aggressively, and outcompetes native vegetation. Plants are partially shade tolerant. It is native to India.

Citations
Rawlins, K.A., R.L. Winston, C.T. Bargeron, D.J. Moorhead, and R. Carroll. 2018. New Invaders of the Northeast and Northcentral United States. USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Assessment and Applied Sciences Team, Morgantown, West Virginia. FHTET-2017-04. Retrieved from https://bugwoodcloud.org/resource/pdf/FHTET-2017-04_New%20Invaders_NE.pdf

Winston, R.L., Andreas, J.E., Milan, J., DesCamp, W., Randell, C.B., and M. Schwarzländer. 2014. New Invaders of the Northwest. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team. FHTET-2014-12. Retrieved from https://www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/technology/pdfs/FHTET-2014-12_NW_New_Invaders.pdf

 

Selected Images



Maps



EDDMapS Distribution - This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts, herbaria, and literature. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org

State Regulated List

State Lists - This map identifies those states that have this species on their invasive species list or law.

Taxonomic Rank


Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Superorder: Asteranae
Order: Ericales
Family: Balsaminaceae
Genus: Impatiens L.
Impatiens glandulifera Royle