Impatiens racemulosa - Maroon Meghalaya Balsam

Maroon Meghalaya Balsam is a perennial herb, 10-23 cm tall. Flowers are reddish-purple or violet, 2.3-2.7 cm across. Lateral sepals are 2, obliquely ovate, tapering, 5-6.5 x 3-3.5 mm, above reddish-purple, below translucent white tinged with purple. Lower sepal is narrowly funnel-form, violet-purple, gradually narrowed in to a long semicircular spur which is1.8-2.1 cm long. Dorsal petal is broadly ovate, 6.5-7.5 x 6.0-6.5 mm, shallowly hoodlike, reddish-purple or violet, dorsally with a crista 1.5-2 mm high. Lateral united petals are clawed, 2.2-2.5 x 1-1.2 cm (whole), bilobed, unequal, violet-purple; basal lobe lanceshaped, 6-7 x 3-3.5 mm, tip tapering; distal lobe dolabriform, 1.6-.8 x 1-1.2 cm, tip blunt. Stamens are 5, about 3 mm long. Flowers are borne in a raceme, in leaf-axils, 3-6-flowered, flower-cluster-stalk 1.8-3 cm long, greenish tinged with purple; flower-stalk 1.3-1.5 cm long, pale green tinged with purple. Bract ovate, 2.5-3 mm long, purplish- green, persistent. Stem is erect, 4-angled, winged, hairless, pale green tinged with purple, nodes not swollen. Leaves are alternate, broadly elliptic or ovate, 1-6 x 0.4-2 cm, tip pointed or shortly tapering, base narrowed or wedge-shaped, margin toothed-sawtoothed, bristly between teeth, veins 4-6 pairs, upper surface green, lower surface whitish green. Leaf-stalk 0.3-4 cm long. Capsules are spindle-shaped, 8-9 x 3.5-4 mm, ridged, hairless, deep reddish-purple, shiny. Maroon Meghalaya Balsam is endemic to Meghalaya. Flowering: June-November.