Back to the page
  • Welcome
  • Visit us
    • Visit us
    • Opening times & information
    • Visiting the Garden
    • Ticket Prices
    • Garden map
    • Group Visits
    • Tours
    • Press and photography
    • The Garden Cafe
    • The Garden Shop
  • Accessibility
  • What’s on
  • The Garden
    • The Garden
    • About the Garden
    • Horticultural Collections
    • Understanding Plant Labels
    • History of the Garden
    • Wildlife
    • Plant picks of the week
  • Learning
    • Learning
    • Adult Learning
    • Trails for Adults
    • Schools, Further and Higher Education
    • Family Activities
    • Community Projects
    • Science on Sundays
  • Science
    • Science
    • Our Science Staff
    • Our Staff Publications
    • Your Science
    • Supporting Your Research
  • Collections
    • Collections
    • Living Collections
    • Seed Bank
    • Herbarium
    • Cory Library
    • Archives
    • Living Collections Portal
  • News
  • Support Us
Donate

Lorem ipsum testing

Cambridge University Botanic Garden
menu

Today's Opening Times:
10:00am - 6:00pm

  • News
  • Support Us
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Home
  • Visit us
    • Ticket Prices
    • Opening times & Information
    • Visiting the Garden
    • Garden Map
    • Group Visits
    • Tours
    • Pre-book tickets
    • Press & Photography
    • The Garden Shop
    • The Garden Cafe
    • Accessibility
    • Virtual Visits
  • What’s on
  • The Garden
    • About the Garden
    • Horticultural Collections
    • Understanding Plant Labels
    • History of the Garden
    • Wildlife
    • Plant picks of the week
  • Learning
    • Adult Learning
    • Trails for Adults
    • Schools, Further & Higher Education
    • Family Activities
    • Community Projects
    • Science on Sundays
    • Gardening Club
    • Book a Learning Visit
    • Festival of Plants 2020
    • Cambridge Festival 2021
  • Science
    • Our Science Staff
    • Our Staff Publications
    • Your Science
    • Supported Publications
    • Supporting Your Research
  • Collections
    • Living Collections
    • Herbarium
    • Seed Bank
    • Cory Library
    • Archives
    • Collecting Expeditions
    • National Plant Collections ®
    • Living Collections Portal
  • Wellness Wanders
  • Open search panel
Close search panel
Impatiens glandulifera
Home Plants Impatiens glandulifera
Share Created with Sketch.
  • Email Share this with Email
  • Facebook Share this with Facebook
  • Twitter Share this with Twitter
  • Pinterest Share this with Pinterest
  • WhatsApp Share this with WhatsApp
  • Google + Share this with Google plus

Impatiens glandulifera

View all plants

This vigorous annual is displaying attractive flowers and explosive seed pods on the Systematic Beds.

A relative of the busy lizzie, Impatiens glandulifera, or Himalayan balsam, is one of approximately 850 species of annuals, perennials and sub-shrubs from tropical and warm-temperate regions. The genus takes its name Impatiens from the impatience of the seeds to escape the seed capsule via an explosive mechanism, referred to as explosive dehiscence. The seed pods of this species are formed of five individual segments (or valves), which are joined by a single membrane. As the seed pod expands pressure increases and cracks develop between the segments tensioning the membrane until it breaks and the segments relax and curl, and eject the seeds. Calculations indicate that the seed is dispersed at 4m per second, and seed dispersed up to 7m. While the hooded flowers are highly attractive the effective seed dispersal mechanism of this Himalayan species mean it is rapidly spreading along waterways of Europe and North America.

University of Cambridge Museums and Botanic Garden

Social

  • Follow us on YouTube
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Threads
  • Follow us on LinkedIn

© 2025 Cambridge University Botanic Garden

  • Privacy policy
  • Contact us