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Impatiens arguta (Blue Impatiens) - A delicate semi shrubby plant to 2 feet tall by 3 to 4 feet wide with delicate red stems holding inch and a half long, mid-green elliptic leaves that have finely serrated edges. Year-round appear the unusual 2-inch-long trumpet shaped flowers with a mottled violet tube, slightly flaring violet petals, an orange-yellow spotted white throat and a hooked yellow distal spur. These flowers are held dangling with on slender petioles below the leaves, mostly within the interior of the plant and with the hooked spur held upwards, the mottled tube downward petals the affect is much like a yellow billed violet parrot.
Plant in full shade or with morning or late afternoon sun and irrigate regularly to occasionally. Seems to be nearly drought tolerant in full shade and has been hardy to the winter cold of coastal California winters; its ultimate hardiness still needs to be better tested but likely will tolerate temperatures in the mid to high 20s° F for short durations. A nice plant in a dry shade garden or in a wall or hanging basket where an upward view best displays the flowers but in irrigated gardens it can spread around a bit.
Impatiens arguta comes from 5,900 to 10,500 feet in the Eastern Himalaya Mountains (East Nepal to Bhutan), northeastern India (Assam), Myanmar (Burma), and western China (southwest Sichuan, southern Xizang (Tibet), central and northwest Yunnan, where it grows in the forest understory, thickets, grasslands and along canals and other moist places. The name for the genus is from the Latin word 'impatientem' which means "unable to wait patiently" or "desiring immediate action" in reference to the sudden dehiscence of the of the fruit capsules. The common name "touch-me-not" sometimes used for plants in the genus is in reference what is sometimes called an explosive dehiscence of seed. The specific epithet 'arguta' means sharp toothed, likely in reference to the fine serrations on the leaves. Lacking a common name, the fitting name of "Blue Dream" was given to this plant by San Francisco plantsman Jeff Hirsch, who described its flowering as "giving the effect that little purple parrots are flying through your plant!" Others have also taken to calling it Purple Parrot Flower. Our thanks go out to Glen Williams who first shared this plant with us.
This information about Impatiens arguta displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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