Balsams bloom in Munnar

• Presenting a visual feast to tourists, balsams (genus Impatiens) are in full bloom in Munnar.

ABOUT BALSAMS

• Called Kasithumba and Onappovu locally, its small, pink flowers are a major attraction.
• Balsams are also known as ‘touch-me-not’ because of the bursting of mature seeds and seed distribution.
• Of the 220 balsam species in India, 135 are found in the southern Western Ghats.
• Anamudi, the highest mountain in the Western Ghats, and the surrounding high ranges are known for the of diversity of wild balsams.
• 46 species of balsams have been discovered in the altittude of Munnar.
  • No other place in the world has such diversity.
• The normal lifecycle of balsams is from June to December.
• The plant mainly grows inside pockets of forest areas.
• With the loss of specific habitats, many species have become rare, threatened, or even extinct.
• This fleshy orophytic herb usually prefers humid habitats and completes the lifecycle in the rainy season.
• Balsams are a major indicator species of climate change.