Impatiens is a genus of about 850--1,000 species of flowering plants, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and tropics. Together with Hydrocera triflora, impatiens makes up the family Balsaminaceae. Common names include impatiens, jewelweeds, touch-me-nots, "Busy Lizzie", balsams and "jewelweed". These plants derive their scientific name Impatiens (Latin for "impatient") and the common name "touch-me-not" in reference to their seed capsules. When the capsules mature, they "explode" when touched, sending seeds several meters away. This mechanism is also known as "explosive dehiscence"; see also Rapid plant movement. Some species are annual plants and produce flowers from early summer until the first frost, while perennial species, found in milder climates, can flower all year. Regardless of their lifespan, the largest impatiens grows up to about 2 meters (c. 7 ft) tall, but most are less than half as tall. The leaves are entire and shiny; their upper side has a thick, water-repellent cuticula that gives them a greasy feel. Particularly on the underside of the leaves, tiny air bubbles are trapped over and under the leaf surface, giving them a silvery sheen that becomes pronounced when held under water.
The flowers, up to 2--3 cm, around 1 inch long, in most species are made up by a shoe- or horn-shaped spur for the most part, with at least the upper petals insignificant by comparison; some have a prominent labellum though, allowing pollinators to land. Others, like the Busy Lizzie (I. walleriana), have flattened flowers with large petals and just a tiny spur that appear somewhat similar to violets (Viola), though these are unrelated eudicots. A few Impatiens species have flowers quite intermediate between those two basic types. Balsams grow both in and out of direct sunlight; they prefer moist, rich soils, like roadside ditches, reed beds, fens, river banks and forest edges, and many are well able to colonize disturbed ruderal locations. Impatiens foliage is used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species (e.g. Dot Moth, Melanchra persicariae), as well as other insects, such as the Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica). The leaves are toxic to many other animals, including the Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus), but this popular pet will eat balsam flowers eagerly and as it seems it is not harmed by them. The flowers are visited by bumblebees and certain Lepidoptera, such as the Common Spotted Flat (Celaenorrhinus leucocera)
Kaas plateau of flowers is located in Satara district of Maharashtra state of India about 26 km away from. It is a plateau with amazing variety of flowers and wildlife. This place is best for photographers though sunlight can be an issue best time to visit is September to October. You can visit from Mahableshwar or Tapola or Satara. Satara District is a district of Maharashtra state in western India with an area of 10,480 km² and a population of 2,808,994 of which 14.17% were urban (as of 2001). Satara is the capital of the district and other major towns include Wai, Karad, Koregaon, Koyananagar, Rahimatpur, Phaltan, Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani. This district comes under Pune Administrative Division along with Pune, Sangli, Solapur and Kolhapur Districts. The district of Pune bounds it to the north, Raigad bounds it to the North-West, Solapur the east, Sangli to the south, and Ratnagiri to the west.
Source: Wikipedia
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