Abstract
When examining Chinese Impatiens specimens and reviewing relevant literature, we noted pronounced morphological similarity between Impatiens meishanensis K.Huang & Z.X.Fu in Zhang et al. (2025: 99) and Impatiens distracta Hooker (1910: 272). Impatiens meishanensis was recently described in July 2025 based on a collection from Wawu Mountain, Sichuan Province and was considered to be morphologically similar to I. distracta Hooker (1910), but distinguished by its plant stature, leaf morphology, peduncle characteristics, floral traits, and seed features. However, through detailed comparison of dissections and original descriptions, we conclude that I. meishanensis and I. distracta share identical morphological features. Key specimens examined in this study are illustrated in Figure 1; morphological terminology follows Grey-Wilson (1980).
References
- Grey-Wilson, C. (1980) Impatiens of Africa: morphology, pollination and pollinators, ecology, phytogeography, hybridisation, keys and a systematic treatment of all African species with a note on collecting and cultivation. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, 248 pp.
- Hooker, J.D. (1910) New Impatiens from China. Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) 8: 269–275. https://doi.org/10.2307/4111718
- Zhang, Y.R., Chen, X.Y., Qu, T.M., Zheng, X.Y., Li, B., Yue, J.L., Liu, X.Q., Pan, M., Huang, K. & Fu, Z.X. (2025) Impatiens meishanensis (Balsaminaceae), a new species from Sichuan, China. PhytoKeys 260: 97–113. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.260.150685