Rare Parrot Flower: Basics, Types, Growth & Care

The Parrot Flower, a peculiar herbaceous plant from the Impatiens genus, is named for its blooms that resemble a parrot. The flowers display a rich mix of colors including purple, white, brownish-red, deep pink, red, and white. These colors are spread across five uneven petals.

The plant disperses its seeds through the explosive dehiscence of its fruit, with mature fruit pods suddenly splitting open and forcefully ejecting the seeds when touched. You can find Parrot Flowers in local botanical gardens in Thailand. Their flowers are purple-pink, interspersed with green and deep red, appearing as if a multicolored parrot is perched in mid-air or on the ground.

The plant blooms from August to September and fruits in October. This species, due to its precious nature, has not been introduced for cultivation anywhere in the world, and the Thai government has banned smuggling or private transport of the plant out of the country to protect it. So, if you want to see the Parrot Flower, you would have to go to its native Thailand.

Morphological Features

The Parrot Flower is a perennial herbaceous plant, growing between 0.5 to 1.5 meters tall. It has a fleshy, hollow, light-green stem with many purple-red branches. The leaves are elliptical lanceolate, green, and have sharp serrations on the edges.

The flowers, individually borne on flower stems, are rich in color, with a mix of purple, white, brownish-red, deep pink, red, and white spread across five uneven petals. The petals are pink, white, purple, and red with spots. They are elliptical, with two petals divided into two leaf-like shapes and two lateral petals forming narrow wing radiations.

The flower is quite peculiar, with one sepal forming a sac and elongating at the end into a thin tube, called a “spur.” As the sac often expands laterally, it makes the flower’s opening tilt to one side. Petals and sepals grow around the opening forming a flower border, which, along with the sac and the “spur,” makes the flower resemble an insect when viewed from the side.

The opening of the flower looks like the insect’s head, the sac is the abdomen, and the whole flower structure is ideally suited for a certain type of insect to enter for nectar and incidentally achieve pollination. The plant blooms from August to early December.

This unique small herbaceous plant disperses its seeds through the explosive force of the fruit splitting open. When the mature pods are touched, they suddenly split open and eject the seeds.

Ecological Habits

The Parrot Flower grows in forests or on limestone rocks. It can’t be grown in water and has high requirements for its growing environment. During reproduction, some need the help of local insects and are difficult to propagate.

Distribution Area

The Parrot Flower thrives in misty, humid cloud forests at altitudes ranging from 1500 to 1800 meters, even up to 2220 meters. It adapts to harsh conditions and relatively lower temperatures. It is found only within a narrow range in northern Thailand (Doi Tung, Chiang Mai), Burma, and one administrative region in eastern India.

Current Status of the Plant

This Thai Parrot Flower is protected and not allowed for export. It is a type of Impatiens that can’t be seen anywhere else in the world. The beautiful flower shape is like a bird, and people can only appreciate this Parrot Flower in some pictures. It is extremely rare.

In Doi Tung, Thailand, the flowering period lasts from October to November. It is only during this period that people can see it in the mountains. Tourists can only hike up the mountain, with each trip requiring three days and two nights staying on the mountain to observe this beautiful plant.

Ornamental Value

The Parrot Flower resembles a crane’s top and looks like a colorful phoenix. It is elegant and charming. The best time to appreciate the Parrot Flower is when it opens in the morning. From the side, the Parrot Flower appears like a parrot with spread wings and a tilted head. If there are two opposing flowers, it is almost as if two affectionate parrots are whispering sweet nothings to each other!

Floral language: Don’t touch me.

This is derived from its English nickname, Touchmenot. The American English name is Don’ttouchme, due to its seed pods that will explosively disperse many seeds even when lightly touched.