Jangjeon balsam (Impatiens jangjeonense Balsaminaceae), a new species from mountains of South Korea

NEWS - Researchers from Chungbuk National University in Cheongju and the National Institute of Biological Resources in Incheon report Impatiens jangjeonense (Balsaminaceae) as a new species from the mountainous region of Gangwon-do Province in South Korea.

The new species inhabits mountainous habitats at elevations of 400–1200 meters and is often found in shaded valleys near streams. I. jangjeonense coexists with I. hambaeksanensis on Mount Hambaeksan, Gangwon-do. However, populations of both species are completely isolated from each other, making gene flow between the two species unlikely.

The genus Impatiens exhibits great variation in morphology. Flower color and morphology vary greatly, along with diverse capsule and seed shapes. In particular, a variety of organ colors, shapes, and sizes are observed within the same species or the same population. Partly because of this variability, the taxonomy of Impatiens has proven challenging.

I. jangjeonense is morphologically similar to I. hambaeksanensis with overlapping organ sizes and colors. However, the researchers were able to conclude that some morphological features of the new species are clearly distinguishable. Among the Korean Impatiens species, the spur tips are clearly bifurcated in I. jangjeonense and I. furcillata, while I. hambaeksanensis has slightly bifurcated spur tips.

The topography of the Korean Peninsula is characterized by high eastern mountains and lowland areas in the west. I. hambaeksanensis and I. jangjeonense are distributed in Baekdudaegan, but I. hambaeksanensis is limited to a smaller area with an elevation of 900-1200 meters, indicating that this endemic species is a relict.

The researchers hypothesize that this species originated a long time ago and lost many populations over time. The remaining populations may have successfully adapted to the temperature, rainfall and ecology of the high mountains. I. jangjeonense is distributed in a wider area with an elevation of 400-1200 meters.

Original research

Ami Oh, Byoung-Un Oh, Hyun Kyung Oh (2024). Impatiens jangjeonense (Balsaminaceae), a new species from South Korea. Phytotaxa 663 (5): 283-293 https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.663.5.3, DOI:10.11646/phytotaxa.663.5.3

Dlium theDlium

Breng (Coldenia breng)

Breng ( Coldenia breng ) is a species of plant in the Boraginaceae family. It is a herbaceous plant that grows along the ground, with radial, cylindrical stems, red, multi-branched, alternate, and white-haired. C. breng has alternate leaves along the stem, oval to nearly round, up to 2.5 cm long, up to 1.5 cm wide, and white-haired. This plant grows in floodplains, seasonally inundated riverbanks, and drying rice fields. It thrives in sandy or silty soils and is drought-tolerant. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Boraginales Family: Boraginaceae Subfamily: Cordioideae Genus: Coldenia L. in Sp. Pl.: 125 (1753) Species: Coldenia breng Aryo Bandoro Dlium TheDlium YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium

Screw tree (Helicteres isora)

Screw tree ( Helicteres isora ) is a species of plant in the Malvaceae family. It is a shrub or small tree, up to 8 meters tall. It has gray bark and alternate leaves, up to 22 cm long and 17 cm wide, oval in shape, with serrated edges and hairs. The flowers are red or white and reach a total length of 5.5 cm. The fruit is green when unripe, brown or gray when dry, twisted, spiral-shaped, and pointed at the tip. The seeds are black or brown, shiny, and diagonal, triangular, or rectangular. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Malvales Family: Malvaceae Subfamily: Helicteroideae Tribe: Helictereae Genus: Helicteres Pluk. ex L. in Sp. Pl.: 963 (1753) Species: Helicteres isora L. in Sp. Pl.: 963 (1753) HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS Helicteres baruensis var. ovata DC. in Prodr. 1: 476 (1824) Helicteres chrysocalyx Miq. ex Mast. in J.D.Hooker, Fl. Brit. India 1: 365 (1874) Helicteres corylifolia Buch.-Ham. ex Dillwyn in Rev. Hortus Malab....

Kunu buti (Mesosphaerum suaveolens)

Kunu buti ( Mesosphaerum suaveolens ) is a species of plant in the Lamiaceae family. It is an erect, herbaceous annual, growing up to 1.5 meters tall. Its cylindrical, rough, brown or green stem is hairy and white. It grows on forest floors, bushes, agricultural fields, and roadsides. Its roots are fibrous and brownish-yellow. M. suaveolens has single, opposite leaves, stalks 2-5 cm long and hairy. The leaf blades are green, hairy, oval, with pointed tips, blunt bases, serrated edges, up to 6 cm long, up to 5 cm wide, and pinnate veins. The flowers are compound, axillary, in clusters, perfect, and bisexual. The petals are attached, forming a tube, each tip elongated like a spine, soft, 3-10 mm long, and green. The corolla is attached, asymmetrically detached, 1-2 cm long, and purple. The fruit is single, hard, capsule-shaped, hairy on the surface, and green or brown in color. The seeds are round, small and blackish brown in color. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphyl...

Dlium