Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis Studia Naturae, 7: XX–XX, 2022 ISSN 2543-8832, e-ISSN 2545-0999 DOI: 10.24917/25438832.7.X The checklist of Impatiens Riv. ex L. (Balsaminaceae) in Nilgiri and Palani Hills of southern Western Ghats (India) S. Jeevith 1* , Ravi Kiran Arigela 2 , Rajeev Kumar Singh 3 , K. Althaf Ahamed Kabeer 4 , C. Rajasekar 5 , C. Kunhikannan 6 1 Division of Forest Ecology and Climate Change, Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree breeding, Coimbatore – 641 002, Tamil Nadu, India. 2 Botanical Survey of India, Deccan Regional Centre, Rooms 228–238, Kendriya Sadan, Sultan Bazar, Hyderabad – 500 095, Telangana, India. 3 Industrial Section and Indian Museum, Botanical Survey of India, 1, Sudder Street, Kolkata– 700 016, West Bengal, India. 4 Central Botanical Laboratory, Botanical Survey of India, Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah – 711 103, West Bengal, India. 5 Department of Botany, Alagappa University, Karaikudi – 630 003, Tamil Nadu, India. 6 Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree breeding, Coimbatore – 641 002, Tamil Nadu, India. *e-mail of corresponding author: jeevithbotany@gmail.com Introduction The genus Impatiens Riv. ex L. consists of more than 1050 species, distributed across the Old World tropics and subtropics as well as in the north and central America (Ruchisansakun et al., 2018; Arigela et al., 2019a; Singh et al., 2021; Borah et al., 2022). Most of the Impatiens species occurs in five centres of diversity of the Old World, namely Madagascar, tropical Africa, Sino- Himalayan region, Western Ghats region of India and Southeast Asia. In India, there are about 242 species of Impatiens recorded so far, of which 152 species are endemic, and the highest diversity occurs in two regions, the Eastern Himalayas and the Western Ghats (Singh, 2016a, 2016b; Singh & Garg, 2016; Singh, 2017; Arigela, 2019a; Singh et al., 2021). Western Ghats holds about 116 endemic species of Impatiens (Bhaskar, 2012; Arigela et al., 2019a). The species of Impatiens are generally known as balsam or jewel weed, and several species have ornamental potential. In Western Ghats, the floristic studies and inventories of the genus Impatiens were early reported in floras by Gamble (1915), Fyson (1932) and Matthew (1983, 1999). Recently, Bhaskar (2012) provided a comprehensive account of 106 species from Western Ghats, and Dessai and Janarthanam (2011) reported 26 species and 2 varieties from the northern and central Western Ghats. Singh (2016) typified thirty six names of thirty five recognised taxa of Impatiens, which are endemic to the Western Ghats. In Nilgiri and Palani, the genus is widespread in Montane wet temperate (Shola) forests and high altitude grassland to semi-evergreen forests. To effectively protect the endemic vascular plants, a comprehensive document of endemic plants of these ecosystems, is prerequisite. The present study on the genus Impatiens brought out an updated checklist of Balsams in the Nilgiri and Palani Hills of Western Ghats, India (Fig. 1 – Appendix 1). Study area The Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu is located between 11°10’–11°43’ N and 76°14’–77°00’ E, in Nilgiris District with an area of 2,452.50 km 2 . The Nilgiri is one of the high mountain ranges of the Western Ghats, at an elevation of 900 to 2,636 m a. s. l. and it is surrounded by the plains of Coimbatore in the southeast, Bhavani in the northeast, Moyar valley in the north and Gudalur plateau in the northwest (Fig. 1C – Appendix 1). In the Nilgiri, underlying rocks are crystalline and mostly gneisses in the entire plateau. Moist evergreen forests at 900–1300 m and montane wet temperate (Shola) forests combined with high altitude grasslands at 1300–2600 m are the major vegetation types. The entire district soil is classified under ‘humic-ferritic soil’ on account of topsoil, as per profile characteristics. The Nilgiris District lies in the tropical zone with subtropical to temperate climate. The western regions of the plateau receive about 3000 mm of rainfall which exceeds 5000 mm in certain sites. The temperature ranged from a minimum of 2°C and a maximum of 25°C, with a layer of mist and fog covering the south eastern slopes. The Palani (Palni) Hills lie between 10°07’–10°25’ N and 77°15’–77°43’ E in Dindigul and Theni Districts of Tamil Nadu. The Palani Hills are situated in south central Tamil Nadu, an east-west spur of the Western Ghats, extending roughly from the Kerala border near Munnar, past the town of Kodaikanal as far as Dindigul in the east (Fig. 1B – Appendix 1). The maximum length is 65 km and width is 40 km, with an area of about 2000 km 2 . These hills in turn are divided into the upper Palani (west) and the lower Palani (east). The upper Palani have an average elevation of 2,200 m and the lower Palani have elevation less than 1700 m. The upper Palani (1700–2100 m) are predominantly grasslands interspersed with tropical montane Shola forests which tend to cluster along the streams and rivers. Below this, from 1300 to 1700 m is dry evergreen forest. From 800 to 1300 m is dry deciduous forest, from 300 to 800 m is savannah interspersed with dry deciduous trees and from the plains to approximately 300 m elevation is scrub forest (Matthew, 1999, Arigela et al., 2019b). The upper Palani Hills have a quasi- temperate climate with temperature ranges from 2ºC to 17ºC in the winter 12ºC to 21ºC in the summer. The average year round temperature is 16°C. The lower hills become progressively warmer and temperature ranges from 25°C to 40°C. The average annual rainfall of Kodaikanal is approximately 1700 mm. Materials and methods Based on literature and phenology, the specimens were sampled in different sites of Nilgiri and Palani from 2012 to 2020 in different seasons. Exploration sites include Shola forests, grasslands and transitional zones between different vegetation types for ecotype variants. Photographs of habitat, habit, inflorescence and close up of flowers of each species were taken to prepare the digital data base and for identification. Height, inflorescence size and colour, wildlife signs and threat factors were recorded for all plant species. GPS coordinates with altitude were collected for geo-tagging and for further studies. The species were identified with the help of literature (Roxburgh, 1824; Wight, Arnott, 1834; Wight, 1837, 1838–1853, 1839; Hooker, 1875; Gamble, 1924; Matthew, 1983, 1999; Dessai, Janarthanam, 2011; Bhaskar, 2012; Singh et al., 2015; Singh, 2016a, 2016b, 2017) and specimens available with Central National Herbarium (CAL), Howrah, Fischer Herbarium (FRC), IFGTB, Coimbatore and Madras Herbarium (MH), BSI, Coimbatore. The plant specimens of present study have been deposited at MH and FRC for future reference. Results In the present study, documented 38 species of Impatiens from Nilgiri and Palani Hills. Among Balsams, 36 species were recorded from Nilgiri (Figs. 2–4 – Appendix 1), 13 species were recorded from Palani (Fig. 5 – Appendix 1), 11 species occur in both Nilgiri and Palani Hills. Out of 38 taxa, 32 are endemic to India (6 species are endemic to Western Ghats and 26 species are endemic to southern part of Western Ghats) and 6 taxa have wider distribution. Photo plates of the Impatiens species from both the localities are presented separately to show the flower colour variations. Few species like Impatiens fasciculata (Figs. 3C and 5C – Appendix 1) or I. tomentosa (Figs. 4H and 5K – Appendix 1) produce both white and pink colour flowers. The habitat, occurrence in the study areas and distribution of these 38 Impatiens species are given in table (1) – Appendix 2. Short discussion Presently, Madagascar has the highest Impatiens species richness with about 260 species (Rahelivololona et al., 2018) and India is at the second position with about 242 species. India nurtures a wide range of Impatiens species due to its diverse topography, vegetation and forest types. The diversity of climate types and habitats of Indian Himalaya and Western Ghats is also associated with Impatiens species diversity and richness. Phylogenetic studies of the genus Impatiens show the centre of origin in South China (Janssens et al., 2006), but Bhaskar (2012) claimed that it lies in the Western Ghats, as the primitive species of Impatiens with lowest chromosome numbers (n=3 in Impatiens latifolia – Fig. 2B and I. leschenaultii – Fig. 2A–5G – Appendix 1) and the largest (n=20 and 25 in I. grandis – Fig. 3K) are recorded from the Western Ghats. Detailed ecological study of Impatiens species in different habitats of Nilgiri and Palani Hills showed that some species show variation in the vegetative morphological traits (I. inconspicua and I. minor – Fig. 3F) some in the reproductive (floral or fruiting or both) traits (I. fasciculata, I. goughii, I. tomentosa and I. scapiflora), and some in both vegetative and reproductive traits (I. acaulis, I. balsamina, I. chinensis, I. diversifolia, I. oppositifolia and I. scabriuscula – Figs. 2–5 – Appendix 1). It is observed that abiotic ecological factors (climatic, edaphic and physiographic) play a major role in the morphological variation of some taxa, while biotic factors play a minor role. Impatiens balsamina (Figs. 4I and 5A – Appendix 1) is native to south India and Sri Lanka, but widely cultivated as garden ornamental plant throughout India and many parts of globe (Bhaskar, 2012). During the present study we found that 10 endemic species of balsam (Impatiens clavicornu, I. campanulata, I. dasysperma, I. gardneriana, I. grandis, I. henslowiana, I. latifolia, I. leschenaultii, I. maculata and I. minor) and 8 threatened species (I. fruticosa, I. elegans, I. parasitica, I. phoenicea, I. tangachee, I. tanyae, I. viscida and I. viscosa) – Tab. 1 – Appendix 2 – have great horticultural potential. The promising potentials of utilisation of wild genes during breeding experiments and cultivar development cannot be ruled out of all these beautiful balsam. These endemic and threatened species of balsam have beautiful foliage and flower (often of different colours within the same species), and can be introduced as garden ornamental plants, especially in south and central India. Multiplication through culture techniques and regeneration of individuals in similar habitats to their natural habitat is the most probable method to increase population number. By this way, we can conserve (ex-situ) these endemic and threatened species of balsam. Acknowledgements The authors are thankful to the Director of Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata and the head of Office, Botanical Survey of India, Deccan Regional Centre, Hyderabad. Authors also thank Dr. Shrishali Kulloli, Spices Board of India and Dr. Prasad Kothareddy, Yogi Vemana University for sharing their knowledge to fix the identity of few species. Special thanks to Mr. Amruth K, SACON, for his support in developing GIS-based maps. Thanks are due to the Forest Department, Tamil Nadu State and its staffs for all the help during field explorations. Conflict of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest related to this article. References Arigela, R.K., Singh, R.K., Kabeer, K.A.A. (2019a). Impatiens tanyae (Balsaminaceae), a new species from Western Ghats, India. Kew Bulletin, 74(3), 48. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-019-9831-4 Arigela, R.K., Singh, R.K., Kabeer, K.A.A., Murthy, G.V.S., Robin, V.V. (2019b). Phytodiversity inventorisation and mapping of Shola grasslands of Kodaikanal wildlife sanctuary, Western Ghats, India. Indian Forester, 145(3), 214–226. Bhaskar, V. (2012). Taxonomic monograph on Impatiens L. (Balsaminaceae) of Western Ghats, South India. Bangalore: Centre for Plant Taxonomic Studies. Borah, D., Singh, R.K., Taram, M. (2022). 118. Impatiens pasighatensis (Balsaminaceae), a new species from Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India. Indian Forester, 148(2), 233–235. Dessai, J.R.N., Janarthanam, M.K. (2011). The genus Impatiens (Balsaminaceae) in the northern and parts of central Western Ghats. Rheedea, 21, 23–80. Fyson, P.F. (1932). The Flora of South India Hill Stations. Vol. 1–2. Madras: Govt. Press. Gamble, J.S. (1915). Flora of the Presidency of Madras. Vol.1. London: Adlard & Sons. Hooker, J.D. (1875). Flora of British India. Vol. 1. London: L. Reeve & Co. Matthew, K.M. (1983). The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic. Vol. 1. Tiruchirapalli: The Rapinat Herbarium. Matthew, K.M. (1999). Flora of Palni Hills, South India. Vol. 1. Tiruchirapalli: The Rapinat Herbarium. Rahelivololona, E.M., Fischer, E., Janssens, S.B., Razafimandimbison, S.G. 2018. Phylogeny, infrageneric classification and species delimitation in the Malagasy Impatiens (Balsaminaceae). PhytoKeys, 110, 51–67. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.110.28216 Roxburgh, W. (1824). Flora Indica; or Descriptions of Indian Plants. Vol. 2. 452–465. Serampore: The Mission Press. Ruchisansakun, S., Suksathan P., Van Der Niet, T., Smets, E.F., Saw-Lwin, Janssens, S.B. (2018). Balsaminaceae of Myanmar. Blumea, 63, 199–267. https://doi.org/10.3767/blumea.2018.63.03.01 Singh, P., Karthigeyan, K., Lakshminarasimhan, P., Dash, S.S. (2015). Endemic vascular plants of India. Kolkata: Botanical Survey of India. Singh, R.K. (2016a). Notes on author attribution and typification of two names of Impatiens (Balsaminaceae). Journal of Japanese Botany, 91(4), 237–241. Singh, R.K. (2016b). Typification of thirty-six names of thirty five recognized taxa in Impatiens (Balsaminaceae), endemic to Western Ghats. Phytotaxa, 268, 167–180. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.268.3.1 Singh, R.K. (2017). Lectotypification of three Linnaean names in Impatiens (Balsaminaceae). Phytotaxa, 321, 299– 300. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.321.3.8 Singh, R.K., Garg, A. (2016). Call for conservation of the critically endangered saffron balsam of Karnataka – Impatiens raziana Bhaskar & Razi (Balsaminaceae). Indian Forester, 142, 803–805. Singh, R.K., Borah, D., Taram, M. (2021). Typifications, new combinations and new synonyms in Indian Impatiens (Balsaminaceae). Biodiversity Research and Conservation, 61, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.2478/biorc-2021-0001 Wight, R., Arnott, G.A.W. (1834). Prodromus Florae Peninsulae Indiae Orientalis. Vol. 1. London: Purbury, Allen & Co. Wight, R. (1837). Contributions to Indian Botany, No.1. On the genus Impatiens. Madras Journal of Literature and Science, 5, 1–15. Wight, R. (1839). Illustrations of Indian Botany. Vol. 1. Madras: J.B. Pharoah. Wight, R. (1838–1853). Icones plantarum Indiae Orientalis: or figures of Indian plants. Vol. 1–6. Madras: J.B. Pharoah. Appendix 1 Fig. 1. Study area: A – India with Tamil Nadu Districts, B – Palani Hills, C – Nilgiri Hills Fig. 2. Species of Impatiens from Nilgiri: A – Impatiens leschenaultii (DC.) Wall. ex Wight & Arn. (white flower), B – I. latifolia L., C – I. cuspidata Wight & Arn., D – I. parasitica Bedd., E – I. fruticoasa Lesch. ex DC., F – I. henslowiana Arn. (light pink flower), G – I. modesta Wight, H – I. viscosa Bedd., I – I. clavicornu Turcz., J – I. goughii Wight (pink flower), K – I. scapiflora B.Heyne ex Wall., L – I. inconspicua (Photo: S. Jeevith and C. Rajasekar) Fig. 3. Species of Impatiens from Nilgiri: A – Impatiens dasysperma Wight, B – I. tenella B.Heyne ex Wight & Arn., C – I. fasciculata Lam. (white flower), D – I. rufescens Benth., E – I. denisonii Bedd., F – I. minor (DC.) Bennet, G – I. cordata Wight, H – I. acualis Arn., I – I. oppositifolia L., J – I. scabriuscula B.Heyne ex Wall., K – I. grandis B.Heyne ex Wall., L – I. tangachee Bedd. (Photo: S. Jeevith and C. Rajasekar) Fig. 4. Species of Impatiens from Nilgiri: A – Impatiens nilgirica C.E.C.Fisch., B – I. elegans Bedd., C – I. levingei Gamble ex Hook.f., D – I. maculata Wight, E – I. phoenicea Bedd., F – I. herbicola Hook.f., G – I. campanulata Wight, H – I. tomentosa B.Heyne ex Wight & Arn. (white flower), I – I. balsamina L. J – I. gardneriana Wight, K – I. chinensis L., L – I. diversifolia Wall. ex Wight & Arn. (Photo: S. Jeevith and C. Rajasekar) Fig. 5. Species of Impatiens from Palani: A – Impatiens balsamina L. (pink flower), B – I. campanulata Wight, C – I. fasciculata Lam. (pink flower), D – I. goughii Wight (red flower), E – I. henslowiana Arn. (white flower), F – I. dasysperma Wight, G – I. leschenaultii (DC.) Wall. ex Wight & Arn. (light orange flower), H – I. phoenicea Bedd., I – I. tangachee Bedd., J – I. tanyae R.Kr. Singh, Arigela & Kabeer, K – I. tomentosa B.Heyne ex Wight & Arn. (pink flower), L – I. viscida Wight (Photo: Ravi Kiran Arigela) Appendix 2 Tab. 1. Species list of Impatiens in Nilgiri and Palani Hills (Southern India) No. Species Distribution Habitat Occurrence in the study area 1. Impatiens acaulis Arn. Southern India and Sri Lanka Wet rocky slopes and moist soil walls of evergreen forests Nilgiri 2. Impatiens balsamina L. Native to India and Sri Lanka. Introduced in new world countries On open dry, wet rocky slopes and plains from foothills to 2500 m elevation Nilgiri and Palani 3. Impatiens clavicornu Turcz. Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Montane (Shola) grasslands and wet rock slopes Nilgiri 4. Impatiens campanulata Wight Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Dripping rocky slopes and on tree trunks in shola forests and shola forest borders Nilgiri and Palani 5. Impatiens chinensis L. Native to Asia and introduced in Africa On open dry, wet rocky slopes, swamps, marshes and plains from foothills to 2500 m elevation Nilgiri and Palani 6. Impatiens cordata Wight Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Evergreen forests along the streams and shola grasslands Nilgiri 7. Impatiens cuspidata Wight & Arn. Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Fringes of shola forests Nilgiri 8. Impatiens dasysperma Wight Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Dripping rocky slopes in shola forests and wet evergreen forests borders Nilgiri and Palani 9. Impatiens denisonii Bedd. Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Wet rocks and moist grasslands slopes in evergreen and shola forests Nilgiri 10. Impatiens diversifolia Wall. ex Wight & Arn. Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Evergreen forests and moist grasslands, also found along the streams from 700–1200 m elevation Nilgiri 11. Impatiens elegans Bedd. Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Moist evergreen and shady places, also prefers dripping rocks in sholas and shola grasslands Nilgiri 12. Impatiens fasciculata Lam. Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Dripping rocky slopes in shola forests, wet evergreen forests borders and swamps in grasslands Nilgiri and Palani 13. Impatiens fruticosa Lesch. ex DC. Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Near streams of shola forests Nilgiri 14. Impatiens gardneriana Wight Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Wet evergreen forests and found along the margins of shola forests Nilgiri 15. Impatiens goughii Wight Endemic to southern Dripping rocky slopes at shola Nilgiri and Palani Western Ghats (Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) forest borders and shola grasslands from 1800–2500 m elevation 16. Impatiens grandis B.Heyne ex Wall. Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka Moist shady places in shola forests Nilgiri 17. Impatiens henslowiana Arn. Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka Dripping rocky slopes in shola forests and wet evergreen forests borders Nilgiri and Palani 18. Impatiens herbicola Hook.f. Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Moist grasslands, swampy areas and wet rocky slopes from 1700–2200 m elevation Nilgiri 19. Impatiens inconspicua Benth. ex Wight & Arn. Endemic to Western Ghats (Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu) Dripping rocky slopes of shola forest borders and shola grasslands from 1800–2500 m elevation Nilgiri 20. Impatiens latifolia L. Endemic to Western Ghats (Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu) Fringes of shola forests Nilgiri 21. Impatiens leschenaultii (DC.) Wall. ex Wight & Arn. Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Rocky slopes of shola forest borders from 1800–2500 m elevation Nilgiri and Palani 22. Impatiens levingei Gamble ex Hook.f. Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Wet rocky slopes of shola forests and shola grasslands Nilgiri 23. Impatiens maculata Wight Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Moist evergreen and shola forests along the streams Nilgiri 24. Impatiens minor (DC.) Bennet Endemic to Western Ghats (Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu) Semi-evergreen forests and wet evergreen forests from 1600–2000 m elevation Nilgiri 25. Impatiens modesta Wight Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Grasslands and rocky slopes of moist evergreen forests Nilgiri 26. Impatiens nilgirica C.E.C.Fisch. Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Dripping rocks of shola grasslands Nilgiri 27. Impatiens oppositifolia L. India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Dripping rocky slopes of shola forest borders and shola grasslands from 1800–2500 m elevation Nilgiri 28. Impatiens parasitica Bedd. Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Mostly epiphytic on shola trees, also found on wet rocks Nilgiri 29. Impatiens phoenicea Bedd. Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Along the stream of shola forests and fringes of moist evergreen forests Nilgiri and Palani 30. Impatiens rufescens Benth. Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Mostly in swampy areas and shola grasslands at 2100–2300 m elevation Nilgiri 31. Impatiens scabriuscula B.Heyne ex Wall. Endemic to Western Ghats (Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu) Wet slopes and dripping rocks of shola forest and grasslands Nilgiri 32. Impatiens scapiflora B.Heyne ex Wall. Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Dripping rocky slopes of evergreen forests and grasslands Nilgiri 33. Impatiens tangachee Bedd. Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Dripping rocky slopes in shola forests Nilgiri and Palani 34. Impatiens tanyae R.Kr. Singh, Arigela & Kabeer Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Swampy areas and along the streams of shola grasslands Palani 35. Impatiens tenella B.Heyne ex Wight & Arn. Endemic to Western Ghats (Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu) Shola forests and shola grasslands Nilgiri 36. Impatiens tomentosa B.Heyne ex Wight & Arn. Endemic to Western Ghats (Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu) Dripping rocky slopes of shola forest borders and shola grasslands from 1800–2500 m elevation Nilgiri and Palani 37. Impatiens viscida Wight Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Dripping rocky slopes of shola forests and shola forest borders Palani 38. Impatiens viscosa Bedd. Endemic to southern Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) Dripping rocky slopes of shola forest borders and shola grasslands 1800–2500 m elevation Nilgiri Abstract A comprehensive checklist of the genus Impatiens Riv. ex L. (Balsaminaceae) in Nilgiri and Palani of southern Western Ghats, India is presented. After thorough field explorations in these areas from 2012 to 2020 in different seasons, 38 species of Impatiens are recorded, in which 6 species are endemic to Western Ghats and 26 species are endemic to southern Western Ghats of India. Horticultural potential of 18 endemic species of balsam is also discussed. Key words: Balsams, endemic, grasslands, Shola forests, Western Ghats Received: [2022.05.08] Accepted: [2022.07.26] Wykaz gatunków z rodzaju Impatiens Riv. ex L. (Balsaminaceae) z Nilgiri i Wzgórz Palani, w południowej części Ghatów Zachodnich (Indie) W artykule zamieszczono listę gatunków z rodzaju Impatiens Riv. ex L. (Balsaminaceae), odnotowanych w Nilgiri i na Wzgórzach Palani (południowa część Ghatów Zachodnich w Indiach). Po dokładnych badaniach terenowych, przeprowadzonych w różnych porach roku w latach 2012–2020, zarejestrowano na analizowanym obszarze 38 gatunków niecierpka, w tym 6 gatunków endemicznych dla całych Ghatów Zachodnich i 26 gatunków dla południowej części Ghatów Zachodnich. Krótko omówiono również potencjał ogrodniczy 18 endemicznych gatunków niecierpków. Słowa kluczowe: niecierpki, endemiczne, lasy Shola, łąki, Ghaty Zachodnie Information on the authors S. Jeevith https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1003-8016 He is biologist and interested in forest ecology and plant taxonomy, ethnobotany, flora fauna interactions, wildlife explorations in different landscapes of Western Ghats. Ravi Kiran Arigela http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5804-3423 He is interested in plant taxonomy, ecology, plant – bird and plant – animal interactions. His study deals with the ecosystems and biodiversity of them; in particular endemic and threatened species. Rajeev Kumar Singh https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0136-9243 His special interests are plant taxonomy, plant nomenclature and biodiversity. He has worked on tiger reserves and protected areas in India. K. Althaf Ahamed Kabeer https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7547-1363 He is an agrostologist and working on the grasses of India. He has investigated and documented the grasses of Tamil Nadu state of India. C. Rajasekar https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9134-2828 He is interested in plant taxonomy, molecular biology and biodiversity conservation. He is working as teaching faculty in botany and passionate on research work. He has done DNA sequencing on several plant species in Western Ghats. C. Kunhikannan He is well known specialist in plant taxonomy, ecology and biodiversity assessment. He has worked on different plant taxa in various landscapes and completed many projects across the country.