Impatiens sunkoshiensis

Impatiens sunkoshiensis S. Akiyama, H. Ohba & M. Wakabayashi, Bull. Univ. Mus. Univ. Tokyo 34: 77 1991.;
Nepal as per Catalogue of Life;

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Impatiens scullyi? – request for confirmation : 12 posts by 4 authors. Attachments (6)

Submitted and photographed by Elizabeth Byers.

Date/time: August 9, 2017; 8:30am.

Location: Dole, Khumbu, Nepal. 3920m elevation; lat 27.8582, long 86.7337

Habitat: Wild: partly shaded moist rock crevices under Abies balsamea – Betula utilis – Rhododendon wallichii forest

Plant habit: herb

Height: 10-40 cm

Leaves: Alternate, aggregated at top of stem. Petioles 3-16 mm long. Blade 4-10 cm long, ovate-acuminate, glabrous above and below, margin crenate with glands/teeth in the sinuses.

Inflorescence: Racemose, axillary, with 5-10 flowers per raceme. Peduncles glabrous, 5-10 cm long. Pedicels glabrous, 1-2 cm long with a bract at the base.

Flowers: Flower length ca. 23 mm, depth ca. 18 mm. Lower sepal narrow tubular, spur a 1-2 mm constriction at end of tube. Dorsal petal white, cucullate, appears to have a slight crest. Lower lobe of lateral united petal purple with two sub-lobes (lower sub-lobe is very small), upper lobe white with yellow in the throat.

Fruits: Capsule linear, slightly upcurved.

Other information: Problems with fit to Impatiens scullyi: Flower length is proportionally long compared to flower depth, i.e. spur is shorter than expected.  Dorsal petal appears to have a slight crest. Lower lobe of the lateral united petals does not have two obvious rounded sub-lobes, but rather the lower sub-lobe is small and sometimes inconspicuous.  Flower length is longer than described range (1.2-2 cm), while leaf dimensions and plant height are mostly smaller.  Maybe the higher altitude could result in smaller foliage?  I’m not sure whether the lower lobe of the lateral united petal has an appendage elongating into the tubular lower sepal – I unfortunately did not dissect a flower in the field and I’m not sure if this is visible in the photos. 

Reference for Impatiens scullyi:  Akiyama, S., H. Ohba and M. Wakabayashi. 1991. Taxonomic notes of the east Himalayan species of Impatiens studies of Himalayan Impatiens (Balsaminaceae), in Ohba, H. and S.B. Malla (eds.) 1991. The Himalayan Plants, Volume 2. The University of Tokyo Bulletin No. 34.

http://umdb.um.u-tokyo.ac.jp/DKankoub/Bulletin/no34/no34006.html

Welcome to efloraofindia, …
Wonderful posting with great details.
To me looks a little different from images at Impatiens scullyi

Yes … to me also looks something different. The upper lobe of lateral united Petals looks comparitively larger though this Impatiens flower size is variable but still it looks different from that one Impatiens scullyi that I have posted and also different from that present in Shinobu Akiyama mam paper.
I think Akiyama mam may help here.

Thank you, …, for your thoughtful comments.  It would be wonderful if Akiyama mam could offer her expertise

Also check comparative images in efi site at Impatiens

I don’t think this is I. scullyi– colour pattern looks different, spur is thinner.
Pity that presence of these appendages is unconfirmed…
I will try it later, as I am busy at the moment.
Hope that richness of description will help.

I think this could be I. sunkoshiensis, described in the cited publication.
I hope Dr. Akiyama will confirm my determination.
I contacted sender of these pictures separately. 

Many thanks to … for his careful review and comparison of my photos with the literature and other images, resulting in the excellent recommendation that this is Impatiens sunkoshiensis.  Much appreciated!

Thanks, …, for id and … for confirmation.
To me also appear close as per TAXONOMIC NOTES OF THE EAST HIMALAYAN SPECIES OF IMP ATIENS STUDIES OF HIMALAYAN IMPATIENS (BALSAMINACEAE) (1) by Shinobu AKIYAMA, Hideaki OHBA and Michio WAKABAYASHI

References:

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