Common Name:

General Information

Impatiens hawkeri is a decumbent to erect, perennial herb that can grow from 50 - 100cm tall. The stems are often tinged red[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local medicinal use. It is commonly grown as an ornamental in the tropics through to the temperate zones, often being treated as an annual bedding plant or grown in hanging baskets[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Australasia - New Guinea to the Solomon Islands.

Habitat

Moist, shaded or semi-shaded locations in montane or submontane forests, particularly along stream and river margins, at elevations from 400 - 3,150 metres, occasionally descending to 200 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires some protection from the hottest sun[]. Prefers a deep, cool, moist, humus-rich soil[].
Plants can flower and produce seed all year round[].
A very variable species: in addition to the numerous cultivars, 15 groups are recognized in the wild forms, which are differentiated mainly by geographical region, flower colour and leaf-form[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The whole plant is cooked and eaten by children with stomach-ache[].
Combined with the leaves of Plectranthus scutellarioides, the leaves are rubbed on the stomach of pregnant women to help relieve labour pains[, ].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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