Impatiens auriculata Wight in Madras J. Lit. Sci. ser. 1. 5: 8. t. 3. 1837; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 1: 460. 1874.

Herbs, perennial, succulent, glabrous, epiphytic on tree trunks; stems fleshy, swollen, With leaf-scars, rarely branched, rooting at lower ends of stem, alternate, broadly ovate-lanceolate or ellipltc, obtuse or acute at apex, obscurely crenulate with few glandular setae at base, 2 - 17 x 1 - 6 cm; petiole 1 - 4 cm long. Flowers in axillary, few-flowered peduncles, ca 2.5 cm across. Lateral sepals very large, pendulous, obliquely ovate or oblong, acute, scarlet. Lip bright green, saccate, wrinkled; spur short, hooked, thick. Standard small, dark-green, hooded. Wings 2-lobed, hooded, purple. Capsules ovate; seeds many.

Fl. & Fr. Aug. - Oct.

Distrib. India: On tree trunks in hills above 1300 m. Southern W. Ghats south of High wavy mountains in the hills of Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram Districts. Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Endemic and endangered species.

Notes. Colour of flower is quite interesting as noted by Wight l.c. Lip is bright green, lateral sepals and spur are deep scarlet-white. upper projecting portion of petal is dark purple. In the protologue it is mentioned that peduncle bears two flowers but the type specimen (Courtallum, Wight 349 (CAL) in different stages of fruiting show solitary capsule (Nair and Nayar Fl. Courtallum 2: 207. 1987).

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