The Begonia picta is a true botanical marvel. This mesmerizing plant, also known as the “Painted-Leaf Begonia”, boasts an array of striking features that make it a favorite among plant enthusiasts and collectors.

This is my favourite Begonia species from the Western ghats…!

The species name ‘picta’ means ‘painted’ referring to the variegation on the leaves.

Painted Perfection – The leaves are medium-sized and asymmetrically shaped, featuring prominent veining and a striking color palette. The most common leaf coloration consists of dark green with silver-white specks and striking red undersides. This contrast is reminiscent of a living canvas splattered with paint, hence the name “Painted-Leaf Begonia.”

Leaf size can vary, but they are generally around 3-6 inches (7.5-15 cm) in length. There are two forms of leaf – One vareigated and another dark form – both of which can be seen below in one frame.

Begonia picta evolves as it grows. The colors and patterns on the leaves may intensify or change slightly as the plant matures, adding to the ever-evolving beauty of this natural artwork.

While Begonia picta is primarily valued for its leaves, it does produce small, inconspicuous flowers. The flowers are typically pink or white and appear on slender stems above the foliage. Although the foliage is striking, the flowers are equally beautiful if you have the patience to take a closer look!

Closeup of the pollen sacs!

The female flowers are very beautiful. Notice the bulged ovary which is absent in the male flowers.

The leaves have a brilliant blue iridescent when light is incident on the correct angle. Below is the same population of Begonia picta photographed with and without turning the flash on. You can see how iridescent blue the leaves shimmer!

Begonia picta is a testament to the artistry of nature. It’s a reminder that we don’t have to look far to find inspiration; sometimes, all we need to do is observe the small, everyday wonders of the natural world. Each leaf of the Begonia picta is a stroke of nature’s brush, a masterpiece that endures and evolves, teaching us to appreciate the art that surrounds us in the simplest and most unexpected places.

The botanical world is a treasure trove of extraordinary plant species, each with its unique characteristics and beauty. Impatiens leschenaultii, often referred to as Leschenault’s Balsam, is a botanical gem that belongs to the family Balsaminaceae.

It was first discovered in the early 19th century by the French botanist Jean-Baptiste Leschenault de La Tour, hence its name.

This plant is native to the Western Ghats of India, a region renowned for its rich biodiversity.

This balsam species thrives in moist, shaded environments, often found growing in the understory of tropical rainforests. It’s well-suited for the cooler, high-altitude regions of the Western Ghats.

The leaves are deeply serrated and glossy green, with silvery veins that create an intricate pattern.

The flowers of Impatiens leschenaultii are small and delicate, usually a pale pink or white.

After pollination, Impatiens leschenaultii produces slender capsules containing seeds. When the capsules mature, they explode upon touch, dispersing the seeds, which is a mechanism characteristic of the Impatiens genus.

Impatiens leschenaultii, like many plant species, faces threats due to habitat loss and deforestation. Conservation efforts are crucial to preserve this botanical gem and the unique biodiversity of the Western Ghats.

Impatiens latifolia is a beautiful species of Impatiens that is endemic to the South Western Ghats. The species name ‘latifolia‘ means ‘with wide leaves’.

The plant’s leaves are of a gorgeous shape!

The plant grows as undershrubs in Shola forests, especially near streams. The flowers are pinkish.

The side view of the flowers shows the curved spur!

The leaves are usually concentrated at the apex of the branches which gives a crown like appearance to the plant.

In the enchanting world of botanical wonders, the Swan Flower, scientifically known as Globba sessiliflora, stands out as a captivating and delicate species.

Globba sessiliflora, also referred to as the Swan Flower, is a tropical and subtropical plant native to Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The common name “Swan Flower” derives from the uncanny resemblance of its flowers to the elegant necks of swans.

Globba sessiliflora typically grows from rhizomes, which are underground stems. The plant forms clumps and can reach heights of 1 to 2 feet.

The plant’s leaves are long, lance-shaped, and feature an attractive dark green color. The leaves grow in pairs along the stem, creating a striking visual effect.

The flowers are primarily small and tubular, but the most captivating part of the plant is the unique, pure white, or pale pink bracts that encase the flowers. These bracts extend outward, creating the graceful swan-like appearance.

Globba sessiliflora has historical significance in traditional medicine and culinary practices. In various Southeast Asian cultures, parts of this plant have been used for their potential medicinal properties and as a culinary ingredient.

Ariopsis peltata is an annual herb distributed in India and Western malaysia. It has beautiful heart shaped ‘peltate’ leaves, hence the species name – peltata. Peltate means the petiole is attached to the middle of the leaf instead of the margin like most plants have.

These plants grow in gregarious groups and it is a sight to behold! Beautiful shield shaped leaves covering a cliff on the roadside.

The plant belongs to the family Araceae. A personal favorite for me .

The plant is usually terrestrial, but can also grow as epiphytes and lithophytes when conditions are favorable.

It has a globose tuber and the leaves and inflorescence rise from the tuber which lies under soil surface. The petioles are 8 to 20 cm long. Peduncle is 2 to 5 cm long and solitary.

The inflorescence is spadix. The spathe yellow or white and is about 3 cm long. The spike is about 2.5 cm long with depressed cavities for androecium. The male flowers are present towards the upper half of the spike while the female flowers are present towards the lower half of the spike. The stigma is 4 lobed.

Fruits are berries, 3 to 6 angled.

Seeds many, linear oblong, ridged longitudinally.

Introduction

Velliangiri hills are a series of hills in the Western Ghats of Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu. It is located in the Boluvampatti forest range of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Velliangiri hills is a popular pilgrimage center in Southern India. It is called “Southern Kailash” by the devotees. Every year, pilgrims trek through wilderness across the seven hills to pay their homage to Shiva at the top of the seventh hill. Pilgrimage is allowed only during the dry seasons of March, April, and May. It is the most suitable time for trekking the Velliangiri hills as it rains the rest of the year. The rain makes the pathways very slippery and dangerous. During the monsoon months, with the bountiful rains, the forests will be lush. There will be a huge number of elephants roaming these forests!

A lucky chance!

I had a lucky chance of visiting these hills during the monsoon months! Most people don’t get that chance easily, so I thought it would be great to share with you guys. You all should see how the hills look like at it’s the most glorious state! The aim of this post is to show you the beauty of the hills. To insist the need for conservation and protection from the ruthless pilgrims and tourists.

This post will be long. But, trust me. It will be worth reading if you have unconditional love nature and want to preserve it. I got some message for you at the end!

Let’s begin!

The journey begins…

The journey started early in the morning at 6:30 AM. We planned to start at this time because there should be ample light to watch plants. Most plants start blooming at this time of the day! It was a great day with chilly weather from last night’s rain and some early morning drizzles. The road was cold and the mountains that line the horizon was our destination! We then started our journey after informing the forest department officials. We showed them the permission letter that we had acquired prior to the trek. 

Lush green forests!

This time, the forest was entirely different and so full of life as we started our trek. The steps on the first hill were even very moist. The rocks on the sides were covered by moss, liverworts, and ferns!

Elephant dung is a common sight in these hills during the rainy season. This is because the forest is full of green and lush during this time of year. They come here to feed regularly. Elephants roam the lower elevations more because it is easier to move around. The forests are not so dense here and the elephants can move easily and the forest is lush and full of fresh vegetation. So, they have a lot to eat too!

After climbing half-way through the first hill, we can enjoy the view from above! Nearby tribal villages, the forests and adjacent Siruvani mountains line the distant horizon.

We continued to climb the first hill and the end of the first hill is marked by the vellai vinayagar temple. It was unattended when we visited as there were no pilgrims at this time of the year. Then we crossed the mighty bamboo groves which looked amazing with greenish new growths. When people usually visit during the summer months, the bamboos would have gone dry!

When we turned back halfway through the first hill, we were in for a breathtaking view of the plains through the tree window! 

The rare Ficus tree!

The forests slowly begin to transform from deciduous to semi-evergreen and then evergreen trees as we climb up the mountain. It becomes denser as we climb uphill. We had reached the third hill and this is where we encounter the first water source of this trek. There are three such sources till the top, providing water even during the bone-dry summer season! This first water source is near the pambatti sidhar (the monk who controlled snakes). There we found this awesome Ficus hispida, the only Ficus with opposite leaves in the Western Ghats. All the other species in the genus have alternate leaves! Look closely and you’ll be able to see the oppositely arranged leaves!

The Velliangiri hills trekking adventure

The way can be strenuous and daunting for those who hate climbing steps and are not used to trekking hills. Some places it is continuous steps. In some places, the stones would have fallen, moved away, or washed down in a torrential flood. In such places, you are left with no choice but to climb bare rocks! But, those who love adventure, will enjoy this trek so much.

I was always dreaming about how would the shola grasslands look at this time of year. My excitement grew as we climbed up the hills. We were nearing the grasslands. I can’t wait to go out of the canopy of this forest into the open grasslands! The shola grassland complex is what I love. It is full of plants that I love. Impatiens, Orchids, plants from the Melastomataceae family, ferns, and moss make me go crazy! The canopy is a composition of different colors and all shades of greens! The tree branches clothed with mosses, ferns, and other epiphytes. On top of everything, foggy and misty weather during the monsoon.

I was thrilled when we were out of the canopy. It was breathtaking to see the Siruvani mountain range opposite where we were standing. We were able to see the streams running down from the hills whenever the mist and clouds cleared. 

Almost at the end of the fourth hill. This marks the end of the forests and the grasslands would soon start from here! You can see waterfalls on the other side! This is what the view was when we reached the grasslands!

Out of the canopy, into the misty grasslands…

It was during the last spell of the monsoon in September when we visited Velliangiri hills. It gets very windy at high elevations. The winds were so strong that we were not even able to walk against it sometimes. We were also constantly bombarded with rain. Not to mention leeches that were waiting to pounce on us for a meal.

We were in the fifth hill and here we were greeted with the beautiful orchid, Habenaria longicornu. The beautiful terrestrial orchid with white flowers that look like small angels!

We were really lucky to see so many rare plants in flower. It was really a good day to be remembered throughout my life. Not that I won’t revisit this place. But, this was the first time I experienced the true nature of the Velliangiri mountains. It was a great experience overall. I’ve never had leaches bite on me, never seen such high winds combined with mist, clouds. I wear power glasses and my vision was almost zero. I did not know where I’m stepping most of the time when I was in the grassland!

The plants I saw at Velliangiri Hills

So many plants and trees I saw that day, I’ve never witnessed them before!

See my previous post about the shola forests and the flora of Velliangiri Hills – here.

The ugly story of Velliangiri Hills…

It is all nice to call a hill a sacred place and make it the abode of Lord Shiva. The Velliangiri Sivan temple is world-famous. It is visited by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, tourists, and trekking enthusiasts every year.

Now let us see the flip side of the glorious sacred mountain. What humans have done on their way to get the blessings of Shiva. Carrying plastic bags is banned on the hills and the forest department does its best to make sure that every person is screened and get rid of any plastic they carry. But with overwhelming crowds and with lack of labor, a few people have to be there extra hours screening people for plastics. They have a difficult time checking each and every one of the pilgrims and some sneaky bastards still manage to get through the screening process with plastic, matchboxes, and lighters into the hills.

Now look at what we have done to the hills.

These plastic bags did not come there in a day. It has accumulated over the years that it has gone into the layers of soil. There are so many dangers it will cause – destroying the soil, damaging the roots of plants, prevent water percolation, make the soil loose, animals may eat this accidentally and die a gruesome death. The possibilities are wide that this can become lethal.

This is not just one threat that these hills are suffering from by allowing an ass-load of tourists each year. People trek overnight and they have nowhere to urinate and defaecate and they see these hills and forests on the sides of the pathway as wastelands and they just do whatever and wherever they like which makes places in the sixth and seventh hills stink with humans wastes and the water sources also turn nasty!

Another biggest threat is the burning of forests and grasslands. The hilltops get colder and people start creating small fires to keep themselves warm. The shops that sell hot tea also start fires on these hills for their stoves which sometimes spread to the grassland which is already bone dry during the summer. This is particularly dangerous in lower elevations where the forests are super dry during the dry season. It destroys many deciduous trees and shrubs that drop leaves during the dry season and destroys the seeds of herbaceous plants which will come to life when it rains again during the monsoon.

These pictures show how dry the grasslands get during the dry season… Also look at the discarded plastics!

This was taken during the dry season with senseless burning. Controlled fires can be beneficial for grasslands but fires such as this burn the grasslands every year and destroy biodiversity!

Look at these dried up Strobilanthes kunthianus plants. These plants bloom in huge masses once every 12 years and the plants die off dispersing the seeds. The seeds germinate in the following monsoon and the new plants bloom again in 12 years. Imagine if this place was set on fire by some dumb idiots who want to stay warm for a few hours. An entire generation of Neelakurinji that transforms the entire hills into blue will vanish!

Here’s yet another trouble to the shola trees. They are mercilessly cut and used as fence posts to control the crowd and also as firewood for the shops. Sirhookera lanceolata, an epiphytic orchid endemic to the southern Western Ghats is left to die in the dry and hot sun. Now you see what I’m talking about. These bastards just don’t have any empathy towards plants, animals, or nature.

The takeaway

Clearly, humans are not fit for this earth. The only solution is to stop the pilgrimage till people become a little responsible for their surroundings and learn how to keep themselves from littering, pissing, and shitting wherever they like. Sorry for all the cussing if it bothered you. I tried to hold myself from swearing but I just could not… I hope that some serious action was taken and this pilgrimage is stopped for good.

Next time, if you are visiting the Velliangiri Hills, understand that this place is not your backyard, not a public toilet, not the streets where you would drop wastes anywhere you like, it is not your home and you have no rights to ruin the place. It does not even belong to Lord Shiva. It belongs to nature, the plants, and the animals that live there. Remember this and be a responsible human being and DO NOT burn, litter or shit and piss around like a bloody psycho!

Impatiens are a genus of plants belonging to the family Balsaminaceae. The family Balsaminaceae consists of two genera. One being Impatiens and the other Hydrocera with only one species – Hydrocera triflora. Impatiens is however a large and diverse genus with more than 1000 species of plants. Impatiens are commonly called Balsam, Jewelweed, Snapweed, and Impatiens as well! Okay. Now that you’re acquainted with the family and the genus, let’s talk about the distribution and the diversity of Impatiens of the Western Ghats.

2. Distribution

The genus Impatiens are usually distributed widely throughout the Northern Hemisphere and the tropics. In India, they are distributed throughout the high altitude and rain-fed areas. They are found in abundance in the Himalayas as well as in the Western Ghats. Sir J.D. Hooker would have divided Indian Impatiens into two wide categories like 1. The Himalayan Impatiens and 2. The Western Ghats Impatiens. I would like to approach this genus in the same way as Sir Hooker did because it makes perfect sense!

3. Impatiens of the Himalayas

They are seasonal plants and can be found only during the spring season. It is only during the spring season the conditions are favorable for these plants to grow and bloom. The winters are too cold and dry because most parts of their habitats are covered in snow.

The Impatiens in the Himalayas are all terrestrial herbs and shrubs. They all share a common flower shape with a long and bigger lip, a shorter spur. Another distinguishing character of the Himalayan Balsams is their elongated fruits which are bulged near the apex. Whereas, the Western Ghats Impatiens have shorter fruits which are bulged in the middle. They are found in moist and cooler regions of the Himalayan mountains.

4. Impatiens of the Western Ghats

It is an entirely different story when it comes to the Western Ghats. There is no such harsh winter in the Western Ghats. This does not mean that the Impatiens can survive and grow here throughout the year. Here the monsoons shower the hills for almost 8 to 9 months every year. Then, there is a dry season for 3 to 4 months. Impatiens germinate, grow, mature, flower and fruit happily during the lush monsoon seasons. They disperse their seeds and die off by the end of the monsoon season and when the monsoon starts again in the next June, the seeds germinate and the cycle repeats.

The Impatiens of Western Ghats are very diverse as compared to those of the Himalayas. The flowers come in different shapes, sizes, the leaves are arranged in different ways on the stem and the plant itself shows considerable variations as it grows on every possible habitat here in the Western Ghats. There are Impatiens that call the forest floor the home, the terrestrial, some grow on rocks as lithophytes, some grow on other trees as epiphytes just like orchids. Some species are capable of growing on rocks as well as on trees provided the conditions are right for their survival! Let me walk you through each of the types.

5. Habitat

Based on the habitat, the place they live in, Impatiens of Western Ghats are classified into three groups.

5.1. Terrestrial

These are the Impatiens that grow on the ground, directly in the soil. They too are very much variable in height and habit. Some are small herbs which grow only up to a few inches (Impatiens inconspicua) while some are large shrubs up to several feet (Impatiens maculata, Impatiens fruticosa) in height. The branching can be very simple (Impatiens oppositifolia) to complex (Impatiens cordata). Some plants can be few branched herbs while some can be profusely branched shrubs. While some grow very close to streams (Impatiens elegans, Impatiens tangachee) while others can happily grow in moist forest floors(Impatiens minor, Impatiens coelotropis). Others even grow in open high-elevation grasslands (Impatiens henslowiana, Impatiens munronii)

The arrangement of leaves also differs greatly with different species. Some species have alternate (Impatiens elegans, Impatiens maculata) leaves while some have opposite leaves (Impatiens lawii, Impatiens minor) and even whorled leaves (Impatiens verticillata, Impatiens gardneriana). There is also a great diversity in the flower shapes and sizes.

5.2. Lithophytes

These are the Impatiens that grow on rocks. Usually these are the rocks that are constantly dripping with water from the land above. These water dripping slopes are perfect habitats for rock dwelling Impatiens or rock balsams.

5.3. Epiphytes

Some Impatiens have even adapted themselves to grow on trees like orchids and some ferns do! They use the trees just as a support for growing and cause no harm to the trees they live on. They are found only in areas with abundant rainfall where there is enough moisture to support these water-needing plants on tree trunks and branches!

6. Habit

Based on the habit of the plant, i.e., the appearance of the plant, they are classified into several groups.

6.1. Scapigerous Impatiens

The scapigerous Impatiens are characterized by the presence of “Scape”. A scape is a leafless flowering stalk produced by the plant. It bears only the flowers and no leaves.

Another important character of these scapigerous herbs is the presence of radical leaves. All their leaves arise from a single point. Thus, they only have a few leaves. The scapigerous balsams usually have a small tuber underground and the radical leaves arise from the submerged tuber. They lack a true stem.

Again, there is a great diversity in the shape of leaf, scape, size and shape of flowers within this group! It would be very interesting to see these plants in the wild, in their natural habitat. It will be as if the plants grow out of nothing on bare, vertical, sheer rock surfaces that drip with water from above!

6.2. Epiphytic Impatiens

Epiphytic Impatiens are, without a doubt, the most interesting type of Impatiens I’ve ever seen! They are the most stunning of all types of Impatiens. Epiphytic balsams are usually found high in the trees but are a sight to behold! They have the most beautiful flowers of all types of Impatiens.

The flowers are greatly modified in shape which make them look exotic and unusually beautiful with bright colors. The stems of the epiphytic balsams are thick and swollen which is an adaptation to survive short dry spells while living high in the canopy. The leaves are too somewhat thicker and leathery that helps to store some water.

6.3. Opposite Leafed Impatiens

These Impatiens are terrestrial – growing on the shaded forest floor to growing in open high-alltitude grasslands among grasses and other plants. They have oppositely arranged leaves and somewhat similar flower shapes. However, there are great variations in the habit, size and shape of leaves, color of the flowers, the presence and absence of spur.

6.4. Impatiens with Umbellate inflorescence

The Impatiens having “Umbel” inflorescence are categorized in this group. They can have alternate, opposite or even whorled leaves. There is also a great variation in the habit, the size of plant, flower color, flower shapes, shape of leaves, presence and absence of spur.

6.5. Impatiens with Racemose inflorescence

The Impatiens with “Raceme” inflorescence are placed in this group. The inflorescence is a raceme with elongated peduncles that bear flowers.

7. Flowers

The flowers of Impatiens show great variation in color, shape, size, presence of spur and absence of spur. The epiphytic balsams have greatly modified flowers with unusual colors as found in the other groups of Impatiens.

7.1. Flower color

The commonly found flower color in the genus Impatiens is pink. There is a great variation in pink color in various species which vary from whitish pale pink color to dark purplish pink color. Apart from pink, other colors in which the Impatiens of Western Ghats exist are purple, white, red, maroon, orange and yellow.

Epiphytic Impatiens have violet, maroon, green, yellow, red in their floral parts.

7.2. Flower shape

Impatiens have 5 petals. One anterior petal called the Standard. 4 lateral petals fused in two pairs to form two Wings. One posterior petal modified into a Lip producing a long appendage called Spur.

For convenience and easy understanding, the floral parts are divided into three –

1. Standard
2. Wings
3. Lip and Spur

The variation is seen mainly in the wings and spur. Though, the standard too shows variation to a great extent, it is not very pronounced in appearance as the standard petal is usually very small.

The wings can be one lobed, two lobed or three lobed. They also show great variation in shapes, sizes and colors.

The spur is an important character of Impatiens and shows a huge variation from one species to another. The spur can be slender or stout, long or short, bulged at the end. The end of the spur can be blunt or sharp. The spur can be straight (usually short) or incurved (usually long). The spur also shows variation in being pink colored (Imaptiens gardneriana), white, green (Impatiens dasysperma). It also shows variation with the presence and absence of hairs. Spur can even be absent altogether in some species.

7.3. Flower size

The flower size also varies from species to species. Some species can have very tiny flowers only a few millimeters across (Impatiens goughii, Impatiens omissa) while some can have large flowers which can be up to a few inches across (Impatiens scapiflora, Impatiens grandis)

8. Leaf shapes

The leaf shapes vary from ovate, lanceolate, ovate-lanceolate, cordate, round-shaped. All Impatiens in India have simple leaves except one species Imaptiens chandrasekharanii which has palmately lobed leaves with lobes 7 to 9 lobes.

However, the leaves are arranged in different fashions. They can be altenate, opposite or whorled in various species.

9. Endemism

The Impatiens of Western Ghats are very strictly endemic plants and there are several degrees of endemism in these plants. Firstly, the Impatiens found in the Western Ghats are all endemic to the Western Ghats and found nowhere else in the world.

They are either present throughout the entire western ghats are they are endemic to an area in the Western Ghats. The Western Ghats itself can be divided into three areas as –

1. Northern Western Ghats – From southern Gujarat to Maharashtra
2. Central Western Ghats – From southern Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka
3. Southern Western Ghats – From southern Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu

There are several species of Impatiens that are strictly endemic to each of the above-said areas. Some Impatiens found in Northern Western Ghats cannot be found either in Central Western Ghats or in Southern Western Ghats. This applies to every area and the range of endemism becomes stricter as we move south.

The Southern Western Ghats has the most number of Impatiens in the entire Western Ghats. There is even more specific endemism in the Southern Western Ghats. The reason is the presence of Palghat pass which is a natural gap of about 30 kilometers in the elsewhere continuous mountain range. Such a huge natural gap in the mountain range has caused another level of endemism. This restricted many plants to certain localities because some of these ecologically sensitive plants were unable to move past the pass. While this can be one assumption, there is no solid evidence for this endemism. Another reason could be the microclimates that exist in the Western Ghats due to greatly varying elevations.

One has to keep in mind that the Southern Western Ghats have all the highest peaks in the entire Western Ghats. Several peaks here rise from 2400 m to 2695 m. Many hill stations are located here – Ooty (2200 m), Kodaikanal (2100 m), Coonoor (1900 m), Kotagiri (1800 m), Munnar (1500 m). The highest peak in the Western Ghats, Anamudi (2,695 m) is in the Anamalai Hills of Kerala and Doddabetta (2637 m) is in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu.

Several species present above the Palghat pass (In the Nilgiris, Silent Valley) are not found in the mountain range that starts south of the pass. After the pass, the Western Ghats rise again with the Nelliyampathy Hills in Kerala and Anamalai Hills in Tamil Nadu and continue up to the Agasthiyamalai Hills in the south.

10. Some Impatiens of the Western Ghats

Following are some of the Impatiens species that I was lucky enough to have witnessed in the wild!

10.1. Impatiens jerdoniae

10.2. Impatiens scapiflora

10.3. Impatiens balsamina var. rosea

10.4. Impatiens balsamina var. balsamina

10.5. Impatiens campanulata

10.6. Impatiens dasysperma

10.7. Impatiens elegans

Read more about Impatiens elegans in this post – https://www.happybotanist.com/impatiens-elegans-the-elegant-balsam/

10.8. Impatiens latifolia

10.9. Impatiens fruticosa

10.10. Impatiens gardneriana

10.11. Impatiens goughii

10.12. Impatiens inconspicua

10.13. Impatiens leschenaultii

10.14. Impatiens maculata

10.15. Impatiens phoenicea

10.16. Impatiens tomentosa

10.17. Impatiens minor

10.18. Impatiens viscosa

11. Conservation Status

Talking about conservation is an absolute necessity when we have to talk about the Impatiens of Western Ghats. One has to understand the nature of these plants in order to understand why conservation is crucial for plants like these.

Impatiens are very sensitive to changes in their environment. They are very specific in terms of growth conditions. They require consistent moisture in the wind. Dry winds are a big no-no to the survival of these plants. They require constant access to water. Most of them grow near or directly on streams. Most of them love growing in shaded places. Any small change to the above said parameters will result in the disappearance of these plants from their habitat.

There is already enough pressure on these plants from climate change, erratic rainfall patterns, monsoons failing altogether at times, etc. Adding to this, humans destroy their habitats bu clearing the forests for plantation and tourism. This places a huge threat on the survival of these plants and their habitat keeps shrinking which makes them very vulnerable. All of the Impatiens present in the Western Ghats are either endangered or critically endangered as their environment is changed by humans for bad.

The survival of these species hangs on a thin thread. A species of Impatiens existing in huge numbers today does not mean they are safe from disappearing. One small change to their environment can wipe out the plants completely from their environment without the possibility of recovering.

Efforts should be made to preserve the forests that we have right now and increase the forest cover so these delicate beauties can not only survive now but also into the future years.

12. Further Reading

1. Arrangement of leaves on the stem – https://www.happybotanist.com/arrangement-leaves-stem/
2. Compound Leaves – https://www.happybotanist.com/compound-leaves/

Impatiens elegans – the elegant balsam is a common, yet beautiful species of Balsam found in the Western Ghats of India. It is during the bountiful monsoon months these beautiful plants erupt in abundance and decorate the forest floor, streams and small waterfalls that run through the forests with pretty pink flowers.

Taxonomy

Order : Ericales

Family : Balsaminaceae

Genus : Impatiens

Species : elegans

Distribution

It is found only in the two states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala of India and nowhere else in the world. It grows above the elevation of 1200 meters above sea level and is found up to 1800 meters above sea level. Impatiens elegans is endemic to the Southern Western Ghats. They are found only to the south of Palghat pass. Their range starts from the Nelliyampathy and Anamalai hills and extends up to Agasthiyamalai Hills in the South.

Description

Habit and Habitat

It is a herb that grows up to a height of 30 to 40 cm. It grows near streams, on rocks constantly dripping with water, in the forest floor among leaf litter where it is constantly moist. It prefers to grow in cool, shaded, damp places of the forest where it gets almost a constant dripping of water. Thus, moist evergreen forests occurring at elevations above 1200 MSL support this plant. Wherever the conditions are just right for its survival, it grows in abundance and in huge colonies!

Stem

The stem is erect and branched. The stem roots whenever a node touches the soil. The stem is glabrous, i.e., without hairs. The stem is usually translucent, like glass and succulent. If you crush the stem, it will be very watery which suggests that the plant needs abundant water to thrive well.

Leaves

Leaves are ovate, cordate (heart-shaped at the base). The leaf margin is crenate (with curved tooth) with incurved bristles. The leaves are arranged in an alternate manner on the stems. The leaves may be hairy on nerves on the upper surface and pale and hairless on the lower surface.

Flowers

Each peduncle bears 3 to 5 flowers in short umbels or short raceme like inflorescence. The flowers are about 2.5 cm across, pale pink to pink with a purple center. Bracts are ovate-lanceolate, tapering towards the end and recurved. The lateral sepals are ovate with a green ridge ending in an acumen (a sharp tapering point).

The lip (you have to turn the flower behind to see this) is boat-shaped, very small. The flower lacks a spur. This is an important character to distinguish Impatiens elegans from Impatiens cordata which has a spur. Other than this, both the plants look exactly the same. You can differentiate both these species with the absence and presence of spur (a tail-like appendage that extends from the lip) respectively.

Fruits

Fruits are inflated capsules with seeds. The capsules are ovoid, elliptical, ridged, beaked, bulged in the middle, green, hairless, about 1.2 cm in length. The seeds are sub-spherical and hairy.

When mature, these are ready to burst anytime just with a light touch. This can even be done by a raindrop! The capsule bursts catapulting the seeds away from the mother plant.

Conservation status and threats

Impatiens elegans is an endangered plant where it faces threats from loss of habitats. The habitats in which this plant grows are unfortunately best suited for tea and coffee plantations. There is huge pressure from the private tea plantations extending their area by destroying their habitat. These delicate plants already face huge pressure from climate change, failing monsoons and lack of pollinators, poor seed germination, flowers and leaves eaten by herbivore insects, and more from nature! Destruction of habitats is yet another death blow to the survival of these plants. It is necessary to preserve their habitats and preserve these species…

More Photos!

References and Further Reading

1. Valparai Plant Trip – Happy Botanist
2. Impatiens elegans – Flowers of India
3. A research article on the reproductive biology of Impatiens elegans

Velliangiri hills is a known to the others as a pilgrimage center and people see it as “sacred”. For for plant lovers like me, it is a paradise of plant diversity! The Velliangiri hills constitute of different varieties of forests that occur at different altitudes. As the hills ascend, the vegetation changes.

It is said that the entire Velliangiri hiking trail consists of seven hills. The first hill and the foothills are covered in dry deciduous forests. The first hill is the most difficult one as it is full of steps and is really challenging to complete!

The second hill is covered in bamboo forests. The third hill is covered in a mix of deciduous and semi-evergreen forests. At the end of the fourth hill, we are almost at the top of the mountain range.

The fourth hill is where we come out of the forest and at the end, we come to open grasslands. So, it is a mix of semi-evergreen and deciduous trees and grasslands. You can start spotting the high altitude plants as you reach the top of fourth hill. The fifth hill is full of grasslands and bordering it, are Shola forests! The sixth hill is the same terrain and vegetation and it is in the seventh hill where there are true high elevation Shola forests.

The above photo is on the 7th hill and there are dense shola forests towards the right of the trail. It is really an exciting sight to see those forests that appear like cauliflowers arranged over one another. But imagine them as colored cauliflowers! One can see a variety of shades of green, white, red, cream when looking at the canopy of the Shola forests. The canopy is so dense and closed allowing only a very little amount of light inside.

Characters of Shola Forests

These forests are the life-givers to the people who live in the plains below. The sholas are interspersed in the grasslands here and there in the depressions in the terrain. The trees are short, stunted, not exceeding 20 meters of height, highly branched and densely leafed. The trees in the shola forests are all covered in epiphytes of all kinds – Moss, Liverworts, Selaginella, Ferns, Orchids, Impatiens and other epiphytic flowering plants. It rains for almost 8 months a year here and the each shola patch creates a climate of it’s own. The shola forests altogether create their own weather by breathing out more water vapour which condenses and falls again as rain.

These forests are also shrouded in fog for the most of the year whenever it does not rain. The epiphytes on the trees help condense the water vapour present in the air and it trickles down. The soil in these forests are really special as they are mostly made up of dead leaves that fall throughout the year from the evergreen trees above. You can only witness this if you got a chance to get into a shola. You cannot see your foot when you walk in a shola forest as it would be buried deep in the leaf litter and that makes the soil so special. It acts like a sponge and absorbs the water that it gets through rain or condensed mist. Since, these forests are found in the slopes mostly, the water that is retained in the soil begins to flow out of the forest in a trickle (Due to gravity? or The soil loses water being unable to hold anymore? May be both!) The trickles join to produce streams. So, it is a thumb rule of shola forests – a stream in every patch of shola. No matter how big or small the patch is, it will have a stream coming out of it!

The Shola grassland complex is an interesting eco-system that looks after itself. We just have to watch them from a distance without ever interfering their harmony. The plants that occur in Shola forests are brilliantly evolved and they have placed themselves so beautifully that they cannot exist if they were in other places. They cannot even exist elsewhere because, the conditions are just not right for them. They have to be in their place to survive. Let me explain that a bit more with some examples…

Impatiens generally like shade and moisture. Most impatiens found in the shola forests are found along the streams. They love a constant supply of water, the moisture, shade and they use the water to disperse their seeds which are carried away in the stream and germinate and grow when they get a hold somewhere in the path. Hence, they are found along the streams!

Impatiens elegans

This impatiens is found along the streams in shola forests. If not along the streams, they will at least it should be a trickle of water which should have brought the seeds there! Impatiens elegans is endemic to Tamil Nadu and Kerala. This one was found in the Anamalai Hills of Valparai, Tamil Nadu.

Impatiens maculata

This is particularly a beautiful Impatiens species found in the Anamalai Hills. It is endemic to Tamil Nadu and Kerala and it is an endangered species. It is strictly found along on the streams in shola forests.

Impatiens goughii

These are also strictly found along streams or trickles where there is a continuous supply of water. They need continuous water flow and moisture to thrive.

These Impatiens are some best examples for the fragile nature of the Shola species. They just cannot survive out of their environment!

Daphniphyllum neilgherrense

This phenomenon can be seen right from the point where the Shola forests start from the grasslands. The Daphniphyllum neilgherrense is a tree that is found only along the borders of Sholas. They are excellent pioneer species. The name “Pioneer Species” is given to those species that establish themselves first and conquer a landscape. D. neilgherrense grows happily in the borders of the Sholas and it can withstand great variations in temperatures during the day and nights. But the other shola species cannot tolerate this variation! They are hence great trees that help in Shola regeneration.

 Characters of Grasslands adjoining the Shola Forests

It is an entirely different story when it comes to the grasslands adjoining the shola forests. It is a perfectly balanced ecosystem of the forests in valleys and grasslands everywhere else. The grasslands occupy wherever the Sholas cannot establish themselves or in short, they cannot exist there! There are several reasons attributed to it.

The Sholas maintain their temperature almost constantly throughout the year when compared to the grasslands. While the temperature can fluctuate from as low as 0 degrees celsius to 40 degrees celsius in the open grasslands, the sholas maintain a constant temperature of 10 to 20 degrees celsius. The moisture also decreases so much in the grasslands during the daytime while the Sholas remain damp and moist throughout the day . This is one major reason why shola species cannot survive out here in the grasslands.

Second, the soil variation between the grassland and the shola. There is a great variation in the composition and nature of soil present inside the Sholas and the grasslands. In the Sholas, the soil is particularly rich (and possibly one of the richest in the World!) mainly constituting of dead leaves from the evergreen trees above. This makes the shola soil a great sponge that can absorb a lot of water and retain the most of it. While the soil in the grasslands is poor in nutrients and cannot support trees in it. It’s water retention capacity is also too low. So, only grass, the incredible survivor can live out there.

Third is the frost and cold winds, which can kill off any Shola species easily. The Shola grassland complex is usually found in the highest elevations of the Western Ghats (above 1600 Mean Sea Level) and these regions can get really cold and is mostly windy and covered in fog for most of the year. Any seeds of the shola species getting dispersed in the grasslands may not sprout at all. Even if they sprout, their leaves will be damaged by the frost and cannot survive successfully in the open grasslands. While the grass and other grassland species are resistant to frost and only they can survive there.

Flora of Shola Grasslands

It is no doubt that the Sholas are incredibly rich in biodiversity but the grasslands are also no less in it. They have their own biodiversity of flowering plants. A few of the grassland species found in the grasslands of Velliangiri hills are –

Fabaceae

Indigofera cassioides

Crotalaria sp.

Lamiaceae

Leucas ciliata

Pogostemon benghalensis

Pogostemon Sp.

Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbia rothiana

Malvaceae

Urena lobata

Melastomataceae

Osbeckia sp.

Commelinaceae

Commelina sp. probably Commelina wight

Acanthaceae

Strobilanthes kunthianus

or Neelakurinji, that flowers gregariously every 12 years truning the hills blue. Thereby, the reason for the name “Nilagiri”, meaning Neelam – Blue and giri – Hills in Tamil.

More Kurinji flowers

Other grassland species that I have to identify yet!

Plant ID credits – Dr. Ravichandran

It was a great trek overall and finding a lot of endemic species and there were less exotic and invasive species here in the Velliangiri hills as compared to the Nilgiris. Yet, they have to be protected for a sustainable human life as well as to preserve biodiversity…

The Magenta Ghost Flower is a parasitic plant that is endemic to Southern Western Ghats, which means it is not found in any other part of the World. It grows as a root parasite and completely lacks leaves and chlorophyll. So, it solely depends upon other plants for nutritions and steals it from other plants.

Taxonomy

Habitat

Christisonia tubulosa is endemic to Anamalai Hills in the Southern Western Ghats. It is found in the Shola Forests of altitutes ranging from 1000 to 2000 meters above sea level.

Identification

It can be difficult or nearly impossible to find this plant if it is not in flowers. It grows as a parasite mainly on grasses in Evergreen forests and Shola forests. It mostly flowers during the monsoon season and one can spot these plants in the forest floor by a mere glimpse. It can be identified by the particularly bright colored flowers emerging from the forest floor.

The flower is tubular, white in color with bright magenta border. The interior of the flower will be bright yellow and the white stigma is prominently visible inside the flower.

Fleshy leafless parasitic herbs, 15-26 cm high. Stem scaly, simple or branched from the rootstock. Scales 2-3 mm long, ovate-lanceolate. Inflorescence terminal, lax racemes; pedicels 1-2.5 cm long. Calyx tubular; tube 0.8-1.2 cm long; lobes obtuse. Corolla funnel-shaped, purplish white; tube 2.5-4 cm long, 2-lipped, 5-lobbed; lobes orbicular, subequal, lower lip yellowish at throat. Stamens 4, didynamous, connivent in pairs; anthers 2-celled, 1 cell perfect, other sterile, spurred. Ovary 1-celled, ovules many; style slender; stigma peltate. Capsule 0.8-1.2 cm long, ovoid. Seeds many, minute, calyx tube persistent in fruits. – Eflora of India Website

First sight

The Magenta Ghost Flower was first found and described in 1835 by Robert Wight, a renowned British taxonomist who worked in South India. He was a Scottish surgeon in the East India Company, whose professional career was spent entirely in southern India, where his greatest achievements were in botany. As a taxonomist, he described 110 new genera and 1267 new species of flowering plants!

Later, George Gardner, who became the superintendent of the Peradeniya Garden in Sri Lanka, named the genus “Christisonia” after Sir Robert Christison, Professor of Medicine at Edinburgh. He was also a school friend of Robert Wight.

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