Parrot Balsam
Impatiens parasitica
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Kerala, Tamil Nadu
How to identify Parrot Balsam
Identify Parrot Balsam by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Confirm leaf arrangement: Alternate.
- Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
- Confirm flower colour: Pink.
- In India, compare location records such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu.
- Confirm it sits within the Balsaminaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Parrot Balsam.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Impatiens parasitica
- Genus
- Impatiens
- Family
- Balsaminaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Shola forests and Evergreen forests of Western Ghats
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India
- Found in India
- Kerala, Tamil Nadu
- Conservation status
- VU
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- AlternaterecordedOne leaf per node, arranged in a spiral or zigzag up the stem.
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Parrot Balsam itself; the rest are typical of the Balsaminaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Pinkrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Solitary
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Parrot Balsam itself; the rest are typical of the Balsaminaceae family — flowering plants only.
About Parrot Balsam
A member of the Balsaminaceae family, Parrot Balsam (Impatiens parasitica) is a herb. In India it has been recorded in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It grows in shola forests and Evergreen forests of Western Ghats.
Balsaminaceae
Balsam/Touch-me-not family
Parrot Balsam belongs to the Balsaminaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Balsaminaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Parrot Balsam or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides