FoI
Red Bush-Violet
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Red Bush-Violet
ntroduced Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Red Bush-Violet, Small Bush-Violet • Marathi: तांबडी कोरांटी Tambadi koranti
Botanical name: Barleria repens    Family: Acanthaceae (Acanthus family)

Red Bush-Violet 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 cultivation in Maharashtra.

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