- Type
- Herbs & Aromatics
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Season
- Spring·Summer
- Sowing
- From seed
Garden Balsam
Impatiens balsamina
Lawsone pigment · an ornamental grown for nail staining, with no edible part
Garden balsam is an annual: sow in April or May and it hangs a flower in every leaf axil from June until the first frost. Crushing the flowers and leaves with a pinch of alum, packing the paste onto fingernails and binding them overnight is a long-standing summer habit, and it is still the usual reason to plant it with children. A ripe pod curls into five strips at a touch and flings its seeds, which is where the genus name Impatiens comes from. It does well at a border edge or in a balcony pot, and self-sown seed brings it back the following year. The Donguibogam lists it in the Herb section as 鳳仙花, gives 金鳳花 as an alternative name, and records only a very short note on crushing root and leaves together for external use.
Year-Round Calendar
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Where It Grows
- Origin The region reaching from India to Myanmar and Sri Lanka is counted as its native range, and wild plants still come up in the fields there.
- Main producer It has long been widely grown both for flower beds and for dyeing.
- Major producer It has long been planted in flower beds and at the foot of walls throughout the country, and it comes up on its own from fallen seed.
It is native to the region stretching from India across Southeast Asia, reached East Asia early, and settled in as a flower-bed plant; today it is widely planted in temperate and subtropical gardens. As an ornamental it has no country-by-country production figures, so the list above is not a ranking but a gathering of places where cultivation has carried on for a long time.
- Optimum
- 20~28℃
- Range
- 13~32℃
- Hardiness
- Not hardy
A heat-tolerant annual flower; once frost arrives, it is finished outright. Its leaves are thin, so it flags quickly when the soil dries out, and in midsummer, if the western sun is too strong, the leaves scorch.
In Korea Nationwide
Planted in flower beds and along the edges of yards nationwide. Sown in April–May, it flowers from June until frost falls, and the following year it comes up on its own from fallen seed.
How to grow
- Light
- Four hours of sun or more. Where the afternoon west sun is fierce, a spot that shades over later in the day is better
- Soil and depth
- Free-draining soil with a little fertility. In pots, mix roughly 30 per cent coarse grit into the potting compost
- Spacing
- 25 to 30cm between plants. Crowded plants press leaf against leaf and rot from the bottom up
- Watering
- Water thoroughly once the surface dries. The leaves are thin and flag quickly, and a plant left flagging drops its lower leaves
- Feeding
- Base-dress at planting, then a dilute liquid feed every two or three weeks once flowering starts. Excess nitrogen gives big leaves and few flowers
- Harvest
- Pick fully open flowers in the morning from June to September. For staining, flowers used the day they are picked give the strongest colour. To save seed, bag the pods once they plump up and the green starts to dull
What makes the difference. Spent flowers left on the plant divert it into setting seed and the flower count drops. Leave two or three stems for seed and deadhead the rest, and it will keep flowering until frost
Why this one is harder. Self-sown seed comes up everywhere the following spring. Unless you thin the seedlings young and keep only what you want, the border fills with balsam
Common problems
- Impatiens downy mildew You will see Leaves yellow, white fungal growth coats the undersides, and flowers and leaves drop en masse What to do There is no turning it back once it spreads. Pull and bin affected plants and do not plant balsam in the same ground next year. Widen the spacing for airflow and water the soil, never the foliage
- Aphids You will see Colonies on new shoots and flower buds, with leaves curling What to do Wash off with a jet of water; if it recurs, use an egg-yolk oil spray
- Slugs You will see Holes eaten in young leaves overnight, with a glossy trail left behind What to do Collect them after dark with a torch. Keep pot saucers free of standing water and check under boards and pot bases where they shelter by day
This page describes how a crop is grown and used. It does not claim health effects for any food, nor is it intended to prevent or treat disease. Component and study notes are references only and do not mean the same result occurs in people. Consult a medical professional about health concerns.
Health Benefits
What the Donguibogam records — the name and the form of use. The Donguibogam lists the plant in the Herb section as 鳳仙花 and gives 金鳳花 as an alternative name. The entry is very short: it records only crushing the root together with the leaves and applying the result externally, and credits the note to the Uigam. No description of nature or taste is attached to this entry. This is a historical medical record and differs from modern medical judgment.
Pigment analysis. Analyses report naphthoquinone pigments including lawsone, along with kaempferol- and quercetin-type flavonoids, in the flowers and leaves. The same work explains the nail staining as the pigment binding to keratin. These are compositional analyses and have nothing to do with preventing or treating disease.
Nutrition
- Lawsone (reported from petals and leaves) — a yellow-red pigment of the same class as henna
- Anthocyanins (red, pink and purple petals) — the water-soluble pigments behind flower colour
- Flavonoids (kaempferol and quercetin glycosides) (leaves and flowers) — polyphenols commonly identified in the foliage and bloom
- Saponins (ripe seed (急性子)) — concentrated in the seed, which is not an edible part
The pigment that stains nails The red stain comes from naphthoquinone pigments in the petals. Lawsone, the same compound class found in henna, has been reported from the plant, and it binds to the keratin of the nail so that washing does not lift it. The stained band stays until the nail grows out and is cut off. Red-flowered lines give the deepest colour.
Why alum goes into the paste Petals alone give a pale stain that fades within days. A small amount of alum fixes the pigment far more firmly to the nail, doing exactly what a mordant does in dyeing. Salt is sometimes used instead, and leaves are crushed in to thicken the paste. Too much alum stings the skin, so use very little.
Flower colour and anthocyanins The pink, red and purple of the flowers comes from anthocyanin pigments. Even on one plant, blooms that caught more sun are deeper in colour. White flowers hold almost none of it and are not used for staining.
What is concentrated in the seed The ripe seed has long been known by the name 急性子, and saponins among other compounds are reported to be concentrated there. Nothing on this plant is grown as a vegetable, and the seed in particular should never go in the mouth. To save seed, slip a paper bag over the pods before they dry so the seed is not flung away.
Pairings
○ A pinch of alum — Petals on their own stain lightly and fade within days. Crushing in a very small amount of alum fixes the colour to the nail so it lasts. A grain of rice per nail is enough; more than that stings the skin.
○ Wood sorrel leaves — Crushing in a few wood sorrel leaves is a long-transmitted part of the method. The sour leaves are said to pull the paste towards the acid side so the colour takes better. Alum alone works if no wood sorrel is at hand. Creeping wood sorrel
○ Cling film and cotton thread — Press the paste onto the nail, wrap it in cling film and tie it with thread. Keeping the paste moist is the whole trick; a dried paste stains poorly. Colour starts showing after two or three hours and is deepest left overnight.
△ Not a plant to eat — Garden balsam is grown for staining and for looks, and it has no part eaten as a vegetable. The ripe seed in particular, where the compounds concentrate, must not go in the mouth. When planting with children, draw a clear line between the staining game and anything edible.
△ Do not handle the seed in pregnancy — Old records place the ripe seed among the items to avoid in pregnancy. Staining a nail and swallowing seed are different matters, but anyone pregnant should wash their hands after handling seed and keep it away from the mouth. Store seed envelopes out of children's reach.
△ Shorten the time on sensitive skin — Left bound overnight, the paste stains the skin around the nail as well, and a heavy hand with alum can leave stinging or a rash. On a first attempt, leave it two or three hours and check. If the skin reddens and swells, rinse it off at once and next time drop the alum or cut the time.
Varieties
- Old single-flowered balsam (seed) — Five petals. The line traditionally used for staining nails
- Camellia-flowered (double) balsam (seed) — Petals layered like a small rose. Showy in a border
- Dwarf 'Tom Thumb' strain (seed) — Around 25cm tall. Suits pots and border edges
- White-flowered balsam (seed) — White blooms. Too little pigment to be used for staining
Source: Donguibogam, Herb Section 鳳仙花 · Rural Development Administration (Nongsaro) · National Institute of Biological Resources