Common names:
Himalayan balsam, Indian balsam
Family:
Scientific name:
Impatiens glandulifera
Main flower color:
Range:
Most areas of the UK though not mountainous regions. An invasive species
Height:
Up to 2 m
Habitat:
Disturbed ground, damp grassland, riverbanks, woodland
Flowers:
Up to 4 cm long, formed of five pink petals, the upper wide and hooded, the lower pair angled downwards, and the middle two smaller. Flowers are clustered, attached by slender, hairless stalks atop square, reddish stems
Leaves:
Ovate, on short stalks, lined with small, reddish teeth; in pairs or (more commonly) whorls of three
Season:
July to October
Rarity:
★★★★★
