IMPATIENS part 2

The seeds and plants available today are cultivars, which have been developed by hybridising the species Impatiens hohii, I. suham and /. petersiana. The cultivated Busy Lizzie has been given the specific name Impatiens wallerana. Thus we have /. W. sultani, from which the cultivars with pale green leaves have been produced; /. W. petersiana, giving the cultivars with purplish bronze leaves and red stems; and /. M". sultani variegata giving plants with white-edged leaves and candy-striped flowers. The species are native to Zanzibar and also to tropical East Africa. A comparatively recent development has been the introduction of plants from New Guinea, from which cultivars with variegated foliage and larger flowers have been raised. The Busy Lizzies sold today are mostly cultivars which have a compact bushy growth and a colour range of various shades of red, pink, orange and also a white; in addition there are the striped bicolours, such as red striped with white.