Barleria lupulina (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia
Introduction

Protologue: Bot. Reg. 18: t. 1483 (1832).

Vernacular names

Native to Mauritius, now widely cultivated in the tropics as an ornamental.

The leaves and roots are chewed against toothache, and a poultice of the leaves is put on bites of insects, snakes or dogs, as an anti-inflammatory.

A glabrous, much branched shrub, up to 1.5 m tall, with axillary spines.
Leaves linear-oblong, 3-9.5 cm long, base cuneate, apex obtuse, midrib red above, petiole short, red.
Flowers in small terminal, hop-like spikes, up to 9 cm long, bracts broadly ovate, 1.2 cm long, ciliolate, purple tinged, on the back with cupular glands, bracteoles lanceolate, 4 mm long.
Calyx lobes broadly ovate; corolla tube 3 cm long, bent at base, expanded above, lobes 5, orange-yellow, stamens 4, didynamous, 2 exserted.
Capsule ovoid, 2-seeded.

B. lupulina occurs in secondary bushland and thickets, when escaped from the gardens.

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