A plant family containing about 1,000 species of mostly tropical flowering plants, including the touch-me-not and busy Lizzie, characterized by irregular flowers and explosive fruit.
From 'balsamina' (the genus) plus the Latinized botanical family suffix '-aceae.' Named in the 18th century when botanists classified plants by their presumed balsam properties.
The Balsaminaceae family shows how plant names preserve old beliefs—these plants aren't actually known for producing balsam, but early botanists thought their juicy leaves resembled the texture of balsam resin, so the name stuck.
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