Impatiens siculifer var. porphyrea, Hook. f.

Smets, E. F. & Janssens, S. B., 2018, Balsaminaceae of Myanmar, Blumea 63 (3), pp. 199-267 : 225

b. var. porphyrea Hook.f. — Map 8

Impatiens siculifer var. porphyrea Hook.f. (1908) 247; Y.L. Chen et al. (2007) 68. — Type: Henry 11206 (holo K K000694768), China, Yunnan.

Impatiens porphyrea Toppin (1920) 363;W.J. Kress et al. (2003) 170. — Type: Toppin 2744 (holo K K000694765; iso K K000694766, K K000694767, SING SING0150199), Myanmar, Kachin Hills, Sinlum.

Herb more than 35 cm tall. Stem glabrous. Petiole 9–20 mm long. Lamina 55–97 by 25–35 mm, elliptic, apex acuminate, base attenuate, with one pair of linear stipular glands at petiole base, 2.5–3 mm long; lateral veins 6–9 pairs. Inflorescence axillary to subterminal, 5–10-flowered. Peduncle 17–36 mm long. Rachis 7–32 mm long. Flowers 10–25 mm long, 17–20 mm deep, purple. Bracts 5–8 by 2–3 mm, narrowly lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, persistent. Pedicel 14–16 mm long. Lateral sepals 4.5–7.5 by 2–3.5 mm, obliquely ovate, apex acuminate, base oblique. Lower sepal 7.5–9 mm long, 5–10 mm deep, apex acuminate, purple; spur 13–16 mm long. Dorsal petal c. 9 by 10 mm, broadly lanceolate, apex round, base truncate, dark pink. Lateral united petals 18.5–20 mm long: the left upper petal c. 9 by 5 mm, obovate, apex round, purple; the right upper petal c. 11 by 5 mm, elliptic, apex obtuse, pink: the left lower petal c. 12 by 1.5 mm, base without auricle, purple; the right lower petal c. 13.5 by 2 mm, pink. Stamens unknown. Ovary unknown. Fruits 23–25 mm long, 2–2.5 mm diam.

Phenology — Flowering:August to October; fruiting:August to October.

Distribution — Myanmar (Kachin State), China (Yunnan Province).

Ecology — Unknown.

Other collection examined. MYANMAR, Kachin State, Kingdon­Ward 21465

(BM), the north triangle, Tama Bum, alt. 9500 ft, 13 Oct. 1953.

Note — Impatiens siculifer var. porphyrea can be easily distinguished from its close relatives by its deep purple flower. Hooker (1908) clearly designated Henry 11206 (K) as type for I. siculifer var. porphyrea and we found only a single specimen. The name I. stenantha var. porphyrea Hook. f. was annotated on some sheets of this taxa.