Morphological characters are the same as those of the family, except: lateral petals always united in pairs into lateral, united petals; fruit a fleshy, explosive capsule; seeds often dispersed elastically from valves when ripe.
IMPATIENS L.
Hierbas erectas con tallos suculentos y algo ramificados. Hojas por lo general angostamente elípticas a ovadas, glabras, ceráceas en la haz. Flores anaranjadas, rojas, rosadas o moradas; sépalos 3, el anterior cimbiforme y extendido en un largo espolón tubular, los laterales laminares, linear-lanceolados; pétalos 3, el superior cordado, los laterales profundamente lobados; estambres 5, connados o conniventes cerca de las anteras formando una caperuza ajustada alrededor del ovario, la cual es decidua antes de que el estigma sea receptivo; óvulos numerosos. Fruto una cápsula típicamente 5-valvada.
Un género con ca 850 especies, casi cosmopolita, tanto en zonas templadas como tropicales debido en parte a su popularidad como planta ornamental, ausente en Sudamérica, Australia y Nueva Zelandia; las 2 especies naturalizadas en América tropical y subtropical se encuentran en Nicaragua.
C. Grey-Wilson. Impatiens of Africa. 1980.
Annuals in our species; stems glabrous. Leaves serrate to crenate-denticulate, petiolate. Inflorescences axillary. Flowers pedicellate; sepals 3; the lateral petals connate in pairs. Fruit an elastically dehiscent, glabrous or pubescent capsule.
"Sep in ours 3, the 2 upper (as the fl hangs on the pedicel) small, the lower one saccate, open in front, spurred at the closed end of the sac; pet apparently 3, the upper one often broader than long, each of the 2 lateral ones lobed in our spp. and regarded as 2 pet united; fr dehiscing elastically into 5 valves. 450, widespread but mainly trop. Asia and Afr."
Annual or perennial herbs, sometimes shrubby; stems usually succulent, rarely woody, glabrous or pilose.
Leaves verticillate or opposite or spirally arranged.
Inflorescences axillary and or of terminal simple racemes or pseudumbels or fascicles, or the flowers solitary.
Flowers sometimes cleistogamous (rarely both cleistogamous and normal ones in the same inflorescence), pedicellate.
Sepals, petals and sexual organs as for the family.
Fruit glabrous or pilose or sometimes tomentose.
Seeds smooth or tuberculate or rugose, glabrous or pilose.
Plantes'annuelles ou vivaces, à tiges souvent succulentes.'Feuilles'alternes, opposées ou verticillées.'Inflorescences'axillaires, en fascicules, ombelles, pseudo-ombelles ou racèmes, ou fleurs axillaires solitaires.'Fleurs'pédicellées; sépales 3(5), dont 2(4) latéraux et 1 postérieur de forme variable et généralement terminé par un éperon; pétales 5 dont 4 ± concrescents ou soudés et 1 libre; ovules superposés.'Capsules'déhiscentes élastiquement en 5 valves projetant les graines en s'enroulant.'Graines glabres ou pubescentes.\n\t\t\t\tGenre comprenant ± 500 espèces; au Congo belge, 35 espèces et 4 variétés.
Widely distributed in the Old World tropics with only a few species in the more temperate regions of the New World.