Common name: Red Barleria, Small bush violet • Marathi: तांबडी कोरांटी Tambadi koranti
Botanical name: Barleria repens Family: Acanthaceae (Barleria family)
Red Barleria is an unusual African cousin of the other native barlerias which are either
yellow or white. It usually forms a rounded to spreading bushy shrub, 0.7 m
high by 1 m wide, but sometimes also climbs/leans into nearby trees and
shrubs (up to 2 m). New branches tend to root as they touch ground, so this
plant can quickly increase its territory if not checked. In fact, the
botanical name repens stands for creeping. It is an evergreen
plant, and has soft, shiny, dark green leaves. Flowers are fairly large,
and are a deep purple-mauve or pink-red. The fruit is an explosive,
club-shaped capsule.
Identification credit: Dinesh Valke
| Photographed in Maharashtra. |
|
ntroduced