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Hybrid Impatiens |
Hybrid Impatiens are for the most part quite rare. Some species have been in cultivation for thousands of years in their native lands. The people of Asia grew I. balsamina for many things from a diuretic to finger nail dye in Japan. In North America Impatiens capensis was used as a dye for cloth, to remedy the itch of insect bites to a cure for poison ivy. The only balsam that was in main stream of cultivation was I. balsamina this was introduced in the mid-fifteenth century by Portuguese explorers and was also grown by Thomas Jefferson himself. It was about this time that the double I. balsamina was being circulated which isn’t a true hybrid but really a cultivar of the species. Not until the twentieth century did the hybridization of Impatiens really become popular.
The Father of modern impatiens breeding was the late Claude Hope. It was he who first developed the double walleriana impatiens that are so popular now days and also for the development of the highly beloved bedding impatiens in so many gardens around the world. He was the one who recommended the collection of Impatiens hawkerii from New Guinea by the USDA in the early 70s. That has lead to an explosion of these plants that can now be found all over the world. In fact the New Guinea hybrid Impatiens only came from a collection of 25 plants that made it back to the United States. So you can see he was a true pioneer and is well deserving of the title he has been given.
Another gentleman that worked with many different impatiens crosses was the late Toru Arisumi who worked for the USDA. He developed many crosses in the late 70s and early 80s using such divergent species as I. walleriana X auricoma and I. niamniamensis X walleriana. Most of the hybrids were done by what is called embryo rescue. Because these parents were so far removed from each other that they needed the help of science to get them to survive. This basically calls for the removal of the seedpod before the mother plant dropped it and placing the seeds in a nutrient rich solution to develop to maturity. Sadly of the nearly 50 hybrids he made, none are in cultivation and are more than likely all are lost. But, there are some who have followed in his footsteps.
Impatiens walleriana was for forty years unrivaled in breeding until the late 90’s. Ron Parker followed the steps of Mr. Arisumi and reintroduced the Impatiens walleriana X auricoma under the name of Impatiens Seashells. This was preceded by the seed line Impatiens African Orchid of which hybrid origin, if any I am unsure of. Released by Burpee Seed these are very similar to Impatiens auricoma only in other colors besides the typical yellow of the species. Another that was released recently is the New Guinea hybrid series Fanfare. These come in a small set of pastel colors and are billed as the trailing impatiens for hanging baskets. These are a hybrid (according to US patent # 20020138883) of I. flaccida X hawkerii two very similar related species. Impatiens platypetala from the Celebes has been used in hybridization of New Guinea impatiens for many years as well. I believe, this was crossed with I. hawkerii to make Impatiens Tango and Macarena both with gorgeous orange flowers.
Many of the new arrivals of impatiens species are mainly due to my good friend Ray Morgan the National Collection Holder of Impatiens in Great Britain. Through his efforts many of the species of impatiens are coming into the light of cultivation. He has also begun to experiment with hybridizing and has developed some very unique balsams that have never been seen before. With all of the species that are now becoming available one can see a bright future for impatiens hybridization.