Impatiens niamniamensis

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Ordo: Ericales

Familia: Balsaminaceae
Genus: Impatiens
Species: Impatiens niamniamensis
Name

Impatiens niamniamensis Gilg
Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Africa
Regional: Tropical Africa
SE-Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo (Brazzaville), D.R.Congo (Zaire), ?Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, ?Burundi, Angola, Bioko Isl. (Fernando Poo)

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References

Boissier, P.E., 1909. Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 43:104.
USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. [1]

Links

Hassler, M. 2019. Impatiens niamniamensis. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2019. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Apr. 09. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Impatiens niamniamensis. Published online. Accessed: Apr. 09 2019.
The Plant List 2013. Impatiens niamniamensis in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Apr. 09.
Tropicos.org 2019. Impatiens niamniamensis. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Apr. 09.

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Kongolieschen
English: Congo Cockatoo, Parrot Plant
français: Bec de perroquet, Impatience de Zanzibar
Nederlands: Congobalsemien
svenska: Papegojbalsamin

Impatiens niamniamensis, common name Congo cockatoo, parrot impatiens or simply parrot plant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Balsaminaceae.

Description
Close-up on a flower of Impatiens niamniamensis

Impatiens niamniamensis grows about 60–90 centimetres (24–35 in) long. This evergreen, perennial species has an erect, succulent, brown stem resembling wood. Leaves are simple, ovate-oblong or elliptical, spirally arranged, about 10 cm long.

This plant produces bright and colourful bird-shaped flowers (hence the common names Congo cockatoo and parrot plant) with a long, curled nectar spur. These unusual flowers vary in colour and size, but those of the clone most common in cultivation in Europe and America ('African Princess') are usually scarlet red and yellow and can reach a length of about 3.5 centimetres (1.4 in). Fruits are explosive capsules of about 14–16 mm.
Distribution and habitat

Impatiens niamniamensis comes from tropical Africa. It can be found from Cameroon throughout tropical Africa, up to Sudan and down to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[1] It grows in moist and shaded bushlands, at an elevation of 350–2,400 metres (1,150–7,870 ft) above sea level.
Cultivation

This plant is widely cultivated. In temperate zones it requires protection from temperatures below 10 °C (50 °F). It needs a sheltered position in a partially shaded spot. Impatiens niamniamensis has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [2]
References

"Impatiens niamniamensis Gilg", Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2020-07-03

"Impatiens niamniamensis". www.rhs.org. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 21 September 2020.

GRIN
The Plant List
Data Base
Royal Horticultural Society