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Touch-me-not family
Balsaminaceae A.Rich.
ツリフネソウ科
A family distributed mainly in tropical Asia and Africa, comprising about 1,000 species of Impatiens and the small monotypic genus Hydrocera. In Japan, Impatiens textorii, I. noli-tangere, and I. hypophylla are native. The family is famous for explosive seed dispersal when fruits mature.
Key Characteristics
- ●Flowers are zygomorphic; one sepal is modified into a spur
- ●Fruits dehisce explosively at maturity, catapulting seeds
- ●Stems are succulent, semi-translucent, and fragile
- ●Leaves are simple with serrate margins
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate / Opposite / Whorled
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Serrate / Entire / Crenate
Growth form
Herb
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Present / Absent
Flower symmetry
Zygomorphic
Petal fusion
Free
Ovary position
Superior
Stamen count
3-4 / 5
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core Eudicots > Ericales > Balsaminaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene (ca. 50 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Development of nectar-guiding mechanism through sepal modification into a spur
- ・Acquisition of explosive seed dispersal through elastic pericarp
- ・Rapid speciation in tropical montane environments
Plants in Touch-me-not family on this site
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