Himalayan Balsam Seed Head Impatiens glandulifera
Image details
Contributor:
Flake / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
B4EJTTFile size:
51.6 MB (1.5 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
3467 x 5200 px | 29.4 x 44 cm | 11.6 x 17.3 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
2008More information:
Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is a relative of the busy Lizzie and is known by a wide variety of common names, including Indian balsam, jumping jack and policeman's helmet. It is a tall, robust, annual producing clusters of purplish pink (or rarely white) helmet-shaped flowers. These are followed by seed pods that open explosively when ripe, shooting their seeds up to 7m (22ft) away. Each plant can produce up to 800 seeds. Introduced to the UK in 1839, it is now naturalised, especially on riverbanks and increasingly in waste places and has become a problematical weed. Himalayan balsam tolerates low light levels and, in turn, tends to shade out other vegetation, impoverishing habitats. It is sometimes seen in gardens, either uninvited or grown deliberately, but care must be taken to ensure that it does not escape into the wild.