Impatiens minor – Lesser Balsam

Nectar Plant

Sarangesa dasahara – Common Small Flat
Talicada nyseus – Red Pierrot
Catopsilia pomona – Lemon Emigrant
Eurema hecabe – Common Grass Yellow
Leptosia nina – Psyche

BOI-pnm283 bu960 bu961

Other notes

Natural History: Endemic Annual Herb.

A small herb endemic to Western Ghats. It grows and flowers annually during rainy season. Flowers are pink or occasionally white, appearing in leaf axils. Fruits are small spindle-shaped and bursts open throwing out the tiny black seeds.

Flowering: June to December.

 

Plant-Butterfly Association: Although the flowers are small, it attracts moderate number of butterflies for nectar.

 

References:

Flowers of India (2023): Lesser Balsam. Accessed on: 16 Jul 2023. [URL]

WFO (2023): Impatiens minor (DC.) Bennet. Accessed on: 16 Jul 2023. [URL]

Page citation

Kawthankar, N. 2024. Impatiens minor (DC.) Bennet – Lesser Balsam. In Kunte, K., S. Sondhi, and P. Roy (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 4.12. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/impatiens-minor, accessed 2024/09/07.