IMPATIENS BALSAMINA

Impatiens balsamina or Garden Balsam is a annual herb that reaches to 1 m in height. Garden Balsam have elliptic to lance-shaped leaves with serrated margins and showy flowers that come in many colours; pink, red, purple. The genus, Impatiens is the latin word for impatient, referring to the explosive release of seeds from the fruit pod. They are easy to grow, tolerant of short periods of drought and with proper light, fertile well drained soil, the Garden Balsam thrives well in any gardens.

Taxonomy:

• Family : Balsaminaceae

Common Names: 

• Malay : Pokok pacar 
• English : Garden Balsam

Habitat and Distribution:

​It occurs as naturalised in rock outcrops in shaded areas within the Atlantic rainforest domain. It has also been naturalized in many countries around the world, appearing mostly in disturbed areas. It is native to Sri Lanka, India and Myanmar.

Uses:

• Food (Fruit or Vegetable) : Leaves and young shoots cooked and eaten as vegetable. Seeds edible raw or cooked (Herb or Spice).
• Medicinal : The plant is used  to treat pains in the joints. Leaf juice applied to warts. Mucilaginous flowers have cooling, antifungal and antibacterial properties, used to treat burns, scalds and snakebites. Powdered seeds given to women during labour to provide strength.
• Cultural / Religious : A dye can be obtained from flowers and leaves, used for dyeing fingernails and toenails.