a natural family comprising the balsams, distinguished from the family Geraniaceae by the irregular flowers.

Balsaminaceae (commonly known as the balsam family) is a family of dicotyledonous plants, comprising two genera and 850+ species of which all but one belong to Impatiens is by far the largest. The flowering plants may be annual or perennial and are found throughout temperate and tropical regions, including North America, Asia, Europe and Africa.