This week’s ‘interesting fact’ is on Impatiens jerdoniae Wt., which has bloomed at M S Swaminathan Botanical Garden’s (MSSBG) conservatory. The species obtained its common name ‘Parrot billed Impatiens’ from the large red inflated lip. It’s a true epiphytic balsam and one among 8 epiphytic species known from Western Ghats. Endemic to South Western Ghats, it is distributed in the north of Palakkad Gap from Silent Valley to Brahmagiri hill ranges. A British zoologist, T.C. Jerdon, originally collected this species from ‘Sisparah hills’ in Silent Valley. He has sent the specimen to the British taxonomist Robert Wight for identification and he published it as a new species commemorating Jerdon by giving the species name as jerdoniae. Mrs. Flora Jerdon made the illustration/‘Icones’ of the species from the live collections at ‘Major Cotton’s Conservatory’ at Nilgiris and published in the year 1850 (vol. 4 pg. No. 1602)
Photo copyright: Jayesh P Joseph Information: Provided by Nandakumar M K Edited: Dr. Smitha S.Thankappan Final Editing and Approval: Dr. N Anil Kumar