Any of about 900 species of herbaceous plants in the genus Impatiens ( balsam family), so named because the seedpod bursts when slightly touched.
Garden balsam ( I. balsamina ), native to the tropics of Asia, is a favourite showy annual in U.S. gardens; its flowers are irregular, single or clustered, and of almost every colour but blue. Familiar related weeds in eastern North America are spotted jewelweed ( I. biflora or I. capensis ) and pale touch-me-not . Most impatiens have weak, hollow stems and require high moisture. Close relatives are geranium s and nasturtium s.