Impatiens omeiana 'High Voltage'

Mount Omei Balsam Balsaminaceae

A spectacular form of this exceptionally hardy Chinese Impatiens, ‘High Voltage’ is grown principally for its high-contrast foliage. The broad, dark-green leaves are dramatically marked along the midrib with irregular silvery-white, almost lightning-bolt patterns, giving the plant a wonderfully graphic appearance. The effect is particularly strong in spring and early summer, before the foliage becomes somewhat greener. From midsummer into autumn, the plant produces elegant pale yellow, cornucopia-shaped flowers, adding a softer counterpoint to the rather electric foliage. Forming a small colony of upright stems rather than a sprawling plant. 

The cultivar is an Impatiens omeiana selection, the species being endemic to Sichuan, China, particularly associated with Mount Emei. Its exact original collection and introducer are, however, not well documented in the sources I can find. ‘High Voltage’ was clearly in specialist cultivation in the UK and US by the 2010s, and it is now accepted by the RHS as a cultivar. 

Give it bright shade or partial shade, humus-rich soil and reliable moisture, with good drainage. It can spread gradually from its tuberous/rhizomatous rootstock to form an attractive colony. Its combination of dramatic foliage and late flowers makes it an excellent woodland plant — essentially an Impatiens that has been wired directly into the mains.

Cultivar origin: Impatiens omeiana selection; original collector and introducer currently undocumented. In specialist cultivation in the UK and USA by at least the 2010s.
Distribution: I. omeiana endemic to Sichuan, China.
Flowering: August–October
Hardiness: H4, approximately −10 to −5°C
Height: 20–30 cm
Spread: 30–90 cm