Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera)

Himalayan balsam flowers
Himalayan balsam flowers

Himalayan balsam fact file

Himalayan balsam description

KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMagnoliopsida
OrderGeraniales
FamilyBalsaminaceae
GenusImpatiens (1)

Himalayan or Indian balsam was introduced to British gardens from the Himalayas in 1839 and since then has become widely naturalised (4). This elegant plant is the tallest annual in Britain (3), growing up to 2 meters in height (2). The stems are reddish in colour and bear long, dark green lance-shaped leaves with toothed edges. The large brightly coloured flowers are variable shades of purplish-pink, and occasionally white (2). Their appearance has led to the alternative name of ‘poor man’s orchid’. Another charming local name, ‘bee-bums’ has arisen as it is just the back end of a bee that can be seen when it visits a flower of this plant (4).

Also known as
bee-bums, Indian balsam, policeman's helmet, poor-man's orchid, stinky-pops.
Size
Height: 1 - 2 m (2)
Leaf length: 6 - 15 cm (2)
Top

Himalayan balsam biology

This annual plant germinates in February and March and grows rapidly. It flowers from June to October and produces a relatively high quantity of nectar (6). The flowers are mainly pollinated by bumblebees and wasps, and it has been shown that this introduced species competes with native plants for pollinators. As a result, native species set lower amounts of seed when growing in the vicinity of Himalayan balsam (7).

The generic part of the Latin name Impatiens means impatient, and refers to the means of dispersal of the seed, which is the key to the aggressive spread of this species (6). The seed capsule splits open explosively, scattering the seeds widely. Each plant can produce as many as 2,500 seeds (7), which can stay viable for 18 months and are spread widely in flowing water (6).

Although a popular plant with many, to conservationists Himalayan balsam is a very frustrating species to deal with. Its aggressive nature means that it frequently outcompetes native plants, and causes untold problems in sensitive habitats. Many local Wildlife Trusts organise ‘balsam bashing’ events to control the frequency of the plant in important sites (4).

Top

Himalayan balsam range

This introduced species had spread out of gardens and colonised British waterways by 1855 (5). It has since become widely naturalised and is now common in central England and Wales. It is not as numerous in Scotland and east England, but its range is still expanding (3) (2). In many areas, its spread has been aided by the deliberate scattering of seeds by fans of the plant (4). This species is native to the Himalayas, but has become naturalised throughout much of temperate Europe (3). It has also become established in parts of the USA (6).

You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

Top

Himalayan balsam habitat

Typically found in dense patches on the banks of rivers and other water bodies (3), as well as in wet woodlands, and on waste ground (2).

Top

Himalayan balsam status

Common and widespread. Not threatened (3).

Top

Himalayan balsam threats

This species is not currently threatened.

Top

Himalayan balsam conservation

Conservation action is not required for this common introduced species.

There may be further information about this species available via the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

Top

Find out more

For more on British native plants and for details of how to get involved in plant conservation visit the website of Plantlife, the wild plant charity:
www.plantlife.org.uk

Top

Authentication

This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact: arkive@wildscreen.org.ukTop

Glossary

Annual
Lives or grows for just one year.
Top

References

  1. National Biodiversity Network Species Dictionary (September 2003): http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nbn/
  2. Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G., and Moore, D.M. (1987) Flora of the British Isles 3rd Edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  3. Preston, C.D., Pearman, D.A. and Dines, T.D. (2002) New Atlas of the British and Irish Flora. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  4. Mabey, R. (1996) Flora Britannica. Sinclair-Stevenson, London.
  5. Grigson, G. (1996) The Englishman’s Flora. Helicon Publishing, Ltd., Oxford.
  6. The Washington State Noxious Weed Control (December 2003): http://www.nwcb.wa.gov/weed_info/policehelmit.html
  7. Impatiens glandulifera. Habitas.org (December 2003): http://www.habitas.org.uk/flora/species.asp?item=3189

More »Related species

Impatiens (Impatiens omeiana)Impatiens (Impatiens pritzelii)Impatiens (Impatiens letouzeyi)Impatiens (Impatiens morsei)Large-flowered monsonia (Monsonia speciosa)Herb-Robert (Geranium robertianum)Monsonia (Monsonia heliotropioides)Geranium (Geranium maderense)

Please donate to ARKive today

Help us share the wonders of the natural world. Donate today!

Sign up to our newsletter

Get the latest wild news direct to your inbox.

Get involved

ARKive relies on its media donors to donate photos and videos. Can you help? There are plenty of other ways you can get involved too!

X
Close

Image credit

Himalayan balsam flowers  
Himalayan balsam flowers

© Roy Anderson

Roy Anderson
roy.anderson@ntlworld.com

X
Close

Link to this photo

ARKive species - Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) Embed this ARKive thumbnail link by copying and pasting the code below.

Terms of Use - The displayed thumbnail may be used as a link from your website to ARKive's online content for private, scientific, conservation or educational purposes only. It may NOT be used within Apps.

Read more about

X
Close

MyARKive

MyARKive offers the scrapbook feature to signed-up members, allowing you to organize your favourite ARKive images and videos and share them with friends.

X
Close

Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials

Copyright in this website and materials contained on this website (Material) belongs to Wildscreen or its licensors.

Visitors to this website (End Users) are entitled to:

  • view the contents of, and Material on, the website;
  • download and retain copies of the Material on their personal systems in digital form in low resolution for their own personal use;
  • teachers, lecturers and students may incorporate the Material in their educational material (including, but not limited to, their lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and projects) in hard copy and digital format for use within a registered educational establishment, provided that the integrity of the Material is maintained and that copyright ownership and authorship is appropriately acknowledged by the End User.

End Users shall not copy or otherwise extract, alter or manipulate Material other than as permitted in these Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials.

Additional use of flagged material

Green flagged material 

Certain Material on this website (Licence 4 Material) displays a green flag next to the Material and is available for not-for-profit conservation or educational use. This material may be used by End Users, who are individuals or organisations that are in our opinion not-for-profit, for their not-for-profit conservation or not-for-profit educational purposes. Low resolution, watermarked images may be copied from this website by such End Users for such purposes. If you require high resolution or non-watermarked versions of the Material, please contact Wildscreen with details of your proposed use.

Creative commons material

Certain Material on this website has been licensed to Wildscreen under a Creative Commons Licence. These images are clearly marked with the Creative Commons buttons and may be used by End Users only in the way allowed by the specific Creative Commons Licence under which they have been submitted. Please see http://creativecommons.org for details.

Any other use

Please contact the copyright owners directly (copyright and contact details are shown for each media item) to negotiate terms and conditions for any use of Material other than those expressly permitted above. Please note that many of the contributors to ARKive are commercial operators and may request a fee for such use.

Save as permitted above, no person or organisation is permitted to incorporate any copyright material from this website into any other work or publication in any format (this includes but is not limited to: websites, Apps, CDs, DVDs, intranets, extranets, signage, digital communications or on printed materials for external or other distribution). Use of the Material for promotional, administrative or for-profit purposes is not permitted.