Two new balsams (Balsaminaceae) from Eastern Himalayas, India Author Hareesh, Vadakkoot Sankaran 0000-0001-5474-277X Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute for Plant Sciences, Olavanna, Kozhikode- 673 014, Kerala, India hareeshhariz@gmail.com Author Sabu, Mamiyil 0000-0002-2025-349X Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute for Plant Sciences, Olavanna, Kozhikode- 673 014, Kerala, India msabu9@gmail.com text Phytotaxa 2020 2020-04-01 437 5 291 300 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.437.5.3 journal article 10.11646/phytotaxa.437.5.3 1179-3163 13873761 1. Impatiens tirbinensis Hareesh & M.Sabu sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 2 ) The new species is morphologically similar to I. drepanophora , but differs from the latter in having bract with acute apex (vs. acuminate or aristate with 2–3 mm long awn), obliquely ovate lateral sepals, apex sub-acute without awn (vs. ovate-falcate, apex aristate with 2–3 mm long up-curved awn), lower sepal with ca. 1 mm long awn, apex acute (vs. aristate with 4–5 mm long awn), lateral united petals with lorate distal lobes (vs. oblong to dolabriform) ( Table 1 ). Type:— INDIA . Arunachal Pradesh : West Siang district, 5 km away from Tirbin towards Along from Daporijo, ± 787 m , N 28° 1’ 28.42’’ , E 94° 36’ 29.7’’ , 18 September 2019 , M . Sabu & V . S . Hareesh 158721 ( holotype CAL !, isotypes , CAL !, MBGH !). Terrestrial succulent herbs, 30–45 cm long; stem rarely branched, terete, greenish brown, glabrous; internodes 3–6 cm long, dark pink at base and greenish pink towards the apex, glabrous; nodes swollen when mature. Leaves alternate at distal part and spirally arranged proximally along the stem, petiolate; lamina 4.5–12 × 2.5–5.5 cm , ovate or ovateelliptic, caudate-acuminate at apex, crenate at margin, crenations apiculate, cuneate at base, dark green above and pale green beneath, glabrous on both sides; lateral nerves 10–13 on each side of the mid-vein, abaxially prominent; petiole 1–3 cm long, slender, slightly winged, pale green, glabrous; petiolar glands subulate, pale green to pink, glabrous. Inflorescence a raceme, axillary,15–20-flowered; peduncle 6–12; bract 3–4 × 2–3 mm , navicular, acute at apex, pale green, glabrous, caducous. Flowers pale purple with yellow throat, pedicellate; pedicel 10–12 mm long at flowering and elongates up to 18 mm long in fruiting stage, pale green, glabrous; lateral sepals 2, 1.5–2 × 1–1.5 mm , obliquely-ovate, apex sub-acute, transparent with pale green midrib, glabrous; dorsal petal 6–7 × 5–6 mm , orbicular, dorsally slightly keeled middle towards the apex, apex shallowly emarginated, curved upwards, pale purple with pale green keeled portion, glabrous; lateral united petals 20.5–22.5 × 4–6 mm , 2-lobed, pale purple with yellow throat; basal lobe 4.5–5.5 × 5–6 mm , obovate to triangular, non-clawed, pale purple; distal lobe 16–17 × 1–2 mm , lorate, twisted, rounded or obtuse at apex, pale purple; dorsal auricle absent; lower sepal 18–23 long, ca. 5.5 mm wide at mouth, navicular, pale purple, glabrous; mouth with ca. 1 mm long awn, apex acute, pale green; spur 5–7 mm long, cylindrical, outwardly curved, apex entire, pale purple, glabrous. Column 4–5 × ca. 1.5 mm , slightly bent towards the apex; filaments ca. 3 × 1.5 mm , white, glabrous; anthers ca. 1 × 1 mm , yellow, glabrous. Pistil 3–3.5 × ca. 1.5 mm ; ovary ellipsoid, pale green, glabrous. Capsule 15–17 × ca. 3 mm , clavate, green, glabrous; seeds ca. 2 × 1 mm , obovate, cream. Phenology:— August to October Etymology:— The specific epithet is named after the type locality Tirbin, West Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh . Habitat and distribution :—The new species known only from near Tirbin, West Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh at an altitude of around 800 m a.s.l. It grows in the moist areas near the streams. At present, the new species perceive no serious threat in its habitat. We observed 8 populations with around more than 80 individuals near Tirbin, Towards Along from Daporijo ( IUCN 2001 ).