Bark
Greenish-brown, rough, hair-covered stems featuring noticeably swollen nodes that lack thorns or spines.
Barleria cristata
Syn. Barleria cristata var. dichotoma
IUCN Red List
Least Concern
(LC)
Local name
- Bluebell bush-violet (English)
- Nil Jhinti (Hindi) Kurantakah (Sanskrit)
Shrub type
Evergreen
Deciduous
Family: Acanthaceae
1m
Indicated uses
Medicinal
Edible
Ornamental
Avenue
Other
Flowering & fruiting
Flowering
Fruiting
Key characters
Leaves
Dark green, hairy, elliptic-ovate leaves (5–10 cm long) arranged oppositely with pale green, strongly-veined undersides.
Flower
Funnel-shaped purple, pink, or white flowers (5 cm long) growing in dense spikes with spiny-toothed, persistent outer sepals.
Fruit / Seeds
Glossy, smooth, ellipsoidal capsules (1.5 cm long) that turn brown and hold four flat, silky-haired seeds.
Did you know?
The genus Barleria honors Jacques Barrelier (1606–1673), a French Dominican monk, physician, and botanist who collected plants across Europe.
Distribution
Tropical & Subtropical Asia, Tanzania, Florida