Gul-Mehndi / Garden Balsam
Impatiens balsamina
Also known as Blackberry Trifle, Balsam Plant, Balsam Weed, Jewel Weed
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- August-February
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Impatiens balsamina
- Genus
- Impatiens
- Family
- Balsaminaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Grasslands and plateaus
- Habitat type
- Grassland
- Native to
- Indo-Malesia
- Distribution
- Tropical Asia
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Telangana, West Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Goa, Odisha, Puducherry, Bihar, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Haryana, Manipur, Meghalaya, Delhi, Tripura
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-February
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- AlternaterecordedOne leaf per node, arranged in a spiral or zigzag up the stem.
- Leaf margin
- ToothedrecordedA saw-like or jagged edge (serrate or dentate).“The leaves are spirally-arranged, 2.5–9 cm long and 1–2.5 cm broad, with a deeply toothed margin.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Gul-Mehndi itself; the rest are typical of the Balsaminaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Pinkrecorded
- Fruit type
- CapsulerecordedA dry fruit from a fused ovary that splits open at maturity to release seeds.“The ripe seed capsules undergo explosive dehiscence.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Solitary
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Gul-Mehndi itself; the rest are typical of the Balsaminaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- गुल मेहेंदी Gul-mehndi
- Nepali
- तिउरी Tiuree, तिरा-मिरा Tiraa-miraa, पडके Padake
- Bengali
- দোপাটি, সপুষ্পক ও ঔষুধি উদ্ভিদ।
- Tamil
- Aivartenkittumpai, Aivartyenki, காசித்தும்பை
- Telugu
- Chilaka mukka puvvu, kaasithummi, Kasi tummi
- Kannada
- ಕರ್ಣಕುಂಡಲ Karna kundala ಗೌರಿಹೂ Gowri hoo
- Malayalam
- Tilo-onapu, കാശിത്തുമ്പ, Impatiens balsamina
- Marathi
- Chirdo, तेरडा Terada, तेरडा
Gul-Mehndi in India
This annual flower, known as गुल मेहेंदी Gul-mehndi (Hindi), Aivartenkittumpai (Tamil), Chilaka mukka puvvu (Telugu), ಕರ್ಣಕುಂಡಲ Karna kundala ಗೌರಿಹೂ Gowri hoo (Kannada), Tilo-onapu (Malayalam), Chirdo (Marathi), is a familiar cottage-garden plant. Impatiens balsamina is grown across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, popular for its easy care and bright, long-lasting blooms.
Uses
It's grown almost entirely as an easy, colourful bedding flower, valued for blooming reliably through the warmer months in a wide range of pinks, reds, purples and whites.
How to Identify Gul-Mehndi
A soft, succulent-stemmed annual herb with narrow, toothed leaves. Flowers are flat-faced with a short spur at the back, in shades of pink, red, purple or white, followed by a swollen seed capsule that pops open explosively at the lightest touch when ripe, flinging seeds outward.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Garden Balsam called in different Indian languages?
- गुल मेहेंदी Gul-mehndi (Hindi); Aivartenkittumpai (Tamil); Chilaka mukka puvvu (Telugu); ಕರ್ಣಕುಂಡಲ Karna kundala ಗೌರಿಹೂ Gowri hoo (Kannada); Tilo-onapu (Malayalam); Chirdo (Marathi); দোপাটি (Bengali).
- Why do the seed pods 'explode'?
- The ripe capsule builds up tension in its outer layer, so the slightest touch triggers it to split and curl back suddenly, flinging seeds away from the parent plant — a dispersal mechanism common to the genus Impatiens.
- Is this the same plant used to dye nails or hair?
- No — the henna used for skin and hair dye comes from Lawsonia inermis; garden balsam (Impatiens balsamina) is grown purely as an ornamental flower, though its name references a folk use of its petals for nail colouring in some regions.
Balsaminaceae
Balsam/Touch-me-not family
Gul-Mehndi belongs to the Balsaminaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Balsaminaceae
View all Balsaminaceae →Sources: GBIF — Impatiens balsamina (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Impatiens balsamina (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)