Impatiens noli-tangere
Great Balsam ( Impatiens noli - tangere )
The Great Balsam ( Impatiens noli - tangere ), also genuine balsam, touch-me - not -an Forest Balsam or old wives' anger, is the only member of the genus Spring herbs ( Impatiens ), originally found in Central Europe, so no neophyte is as the other native species here now. The term noli - tangere is shortened from vorlinnéischem noli me tangere, which "Touch me not " means.
Description
The annual herbaceous plant reaches heights of growth from 30 to 70 (up to 100 ) centimeters. The succulent stem is swollen at the nodes. The upper leaves are usually smaller than the lower and have on each side 7 to 16 ( to 20 ), usually stumpfliche teeth.
In the axils of the upper leaves ever hang a pedunculated or four flowers. The hermaphrodite golden yellow, zygomorphic flowers are (15 to ) 20 to 35 mm long and have a curved spur. The petals are interconnected in pairs and inside dotted brownish red.
Bloom time is from July to August.
Ecology
The annual plant is a prolific shallow roots and a pronounced shade plant. Its leaves are non-wettable by a wax coating. The leaf margin is equipped with water columns, called hydathodes, where especially in the morning drops are found. This water separation is called guttation. The stems are succulent and translucent so that the vascular bundles are good to see. The leaves are provided with extra-floral nectaries and have a tissue with oxalate crystals, called drusen, which probably serves the corrosion protection. The species is frost sensitive and is destroyed after the first frosts; it is thus a so-called frost hole pointer.
The flowers are very vormännliche, hanging "Revenge flowers". The spur is equipped with nectaries and serves as a so-called juice holder. The stamens are fused into a tube and the pollen is connected by threads. The scar development begins only after the fall of the dust bag. Pollinators are bumblebees and other bees relatives. Spontaneous self-pollination takes place in tiny, closed lasting, so-called cleistogamous flowers.
The fruit capsules are tensioned by cell sap pressure and pull quickly to the touch preformed on seams. The seeds are thrown up over 3 meters (explosion fruits ), see sap pressure spreader and Ballochorie. Fruit ripening is from August to October.
The herb is eaten by deer and cattle.
Occurrence
Mostly Eurasian spread from the British Isles and the Pyrenees east to the Pacific Ocean, in addition in western North America. As location - shady moist to wet forest sites, ravine forests, riparian forests, stream margins are at altitudes of 1300 m above sea level preferred.