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Barleria cristata

L. (1753)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Asterids Order: Lamiales Family: Acanthaceae Genus: Barleria

Philippine violet

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Erect branching shrubs 6–10 dm tall.

Stems: Pubescent with both long and short appressed hairs.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite and decussate (pairs of leaves alternating 90 degrees between nodes). Blades elliptic to narrowly ovate, 2.5–10 (–19) cm long. Apex attenuate. Surfaces sparsely strigillose; dark green on upper surface; lower surfaces pale green. Margins entire. Petioles 0.2–1(–3.5) cm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in dense axillary or terminal spikes or racemes. Flowers bisexual (perfect), subtended by 2 greenish white to white, linear, spinose bracts with conspicuous veins, 8–15 mm long, pedicels 0–1 mm long. Calyx distinctly zygomorphic, deeply 4-lobed. Outer 2 Calyx lobes enlarged, ovate, becoming chartaceous with age, the veins green and conspicuous, ca. 10 mm long at anthesis, enlarging to 15–25 mm long in fruit, spiny–margined, the inner 2 lobes linear, ca. 7 mm long, margins entire. Corolla 5-lobed; violet, pink, or white, funnelform, 5–5.7 cm long. Stamens 4, in pairs, inserted on the corolla alternate with the lobes, sometimes 1 or more reduced to staminodes; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate; ovule placentation axile; style filiform, simple.

Fruit: Capsules with two cells; usually dehiscing explosively; ellipsoid; 1.4–1.7 cm long; glabrous and glossy at maturity. Seeds 4; on small hooked stalks (modified funiculus) that ejects the seeds from the capsule; embryos usually large; endosperm absent.

Ploidy: 2n = 34; 36; 38; 40

Habitat: Naturalized in dry habitats.

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents

Water/Ocean

Vegetative Reproduction

Pollinators

Notes

  • Description digitized by Pumehana Imada
  • Native to India and Burma; in Hawai‘i cultivated for hedges and borders (Neal, 1965). Neal (1965) states that another species, Barleria prionitis L., has escaped from cultivation in Hawai‘i; however, we have not seen any evidence of this. She proba

Bibliography

Name Published In: Sp. Pl.: 636 (1753)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:168 (K, O, H); Oppenheimer & Bartlett 2002:1 (WM); Staples & Herbst 2005:82 (DESCR); Starr et al. 2006:31 (Mo)

Wagner, W. L., Herbst, D. R., & Sohmer, S. H. (1999). Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai'i, Vols. 1 and 2 (No. Edn 2). University of Hawai'i and Bishop Museum Press.

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Barleria cristata W Maui, Lahaina District, Mahinahina, in an unnamed gully betw Mahinahina and Kahanaiki Gulches Forming dense stands under Leucaena leucocephala. Preserved_Specimen Oppenheimer, H.L. 40009 Maui BISH 2000-04-07
2 Barleria cristata Kamehameha Girls' School, Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Judd Jr., A.F. Oahu BISH 1937-09-25
3 Barleria cristata Kamehameha Girls' School, Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Judd Jr., A.F. Oahu BISH 1937-09-25
4 Barleria cristata Univ. of Hawaii campus, Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Yoshinaga, E.K. Oahu BISH 1929-11-20
5 Barleria cristata Manoa Valley, Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Forbes, A. Oahu BISH 1930-07-21
6 Barleria cristata University of Hawaii campus, Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Tanaka, Y. Oahu BISH 1929-12-09
7 Barleria cristata Lyon Arboretum, Honolulu. Upper Lawn Makai Growing in semi-shade. Preserved_Specimen Shrub 4' ht. Flowers white, anthers blue. Nagata, K.M. 1803 Oahu BISH 1978-10-19
8 Barleria cristata W Maui, Lahaina District, Moomoku Growing in a gully. Preserved_Specimen Oppenheimer, H.L. 30003 Maui BISH 2000-03-09
9 Barleria cristata edge of Ko Rd., Hanapepe Panicum maximum, haole koa, Pithecellobium Preserved_Specimen 2 m; weedy; white flower Trauernicht, C. 217 Kauai BISH 2007-10-17
10 Barleria cristata University of Hawaii campus, Honolulu. Magoon Greenhouse Facility Potted, being grown under shade cloth. Preserved_Specimen A subshrub 0.8 m tall with ascending branches; flowers are white; not fragrant (noon). Lau, J. 1346 Oahu BISH 1985-08-26
11 Barleria cristata Along highway near Kailua-Kona Sparingly naturalized in this area. Preserved_Specimen Sub-shrub to about 4 ft. tall. Herbst, D.R. 5035 Hawaii BISH 1974-09-18
12 Barleria cristata Koloa, Kalaheo, 3980 Waha road, upper Lawai Valley alien grasses, Indigofera, Wedelia Preserved_Specimen 1-1.5 m; weedy toward base; leaves discolorous; floral bracts light brown, whitish basally, scarious in fruit; corolla white, slightly zygomorphic; capsules brown Lorence, D.H. 8466 Kauai BISH 2000-03-05
13 Barleria cristata Between Alii Drive and Kuakini Hwy, North Kona Naturalized in tall Prosopis pallida scrub. Growing with Tricachne insularis. Preserved_Specimen Nagata, K.M. 2115 Hawaii BISH 1980-08-30
14 Barleria cristata Kaluaaha; Pukoo, Molokai Vegetation: Prosopis pallida Preserved_Specimen Erect herb filling understory in many spots along Kamehameha Hwy. Flowers white. Starr, F. 505175 Molokai BISH 2005-05-17
15 Barleria cristata W Maui, Lahaina District, Kahananaiki Gulch, on steep bank along S side of gulch Growing along a dirt road on bank. Preserved_Specimen Oppenheimer, H.L. 30005 Maui BISH 2000-03-10
16 Barleria cristata Waimanalo Forest Reserve. Along access road near start of trail. Filtered sun mesic understory on side of trail. Associated; Megathyrsus maximus, Leucaena leucocephala, Albizia, Citharexylum spinosum, Citharexylum caudatum, Macranga mappa, Psidium cattleyanum. Preserved_Specimen Flowers white. Leaves pale glossy underside. Arthur, K. 107 Oahu BISH 2025-05-29
17 Barleria cristata Univ. of Hawaii campus, Manoa Valley, Honolulu Dry lowland. Preserved_Specimen Chong, M. Oahu BISH 1933-05-14
18 Barleria cristata Nuuanu area, 2616 Pali Hwy, Honolulu In partial shade. Preserved_Specimen A shrub 1 m tall; flower intermediate between mauve and purple; odorless (morning). Lau, J. 1620 Oahu BISH 1985-11-16
19 Barleria cristata Kamehameha Girls' School, Kapalama, Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Branching shrub, 1 m high; lfower all violet. Bark brown, streaked darker brown; sapwood cream; heartwood small pith. Diam. 0.5 cm. Rankin, P. 4 Oahu BISH 1939-05-02
20 Barleria cristata University of Hawaii campus, Honolulu. Crawford Hall Preserved_Specimen Shrub 1 m tall; flower white. Woolford, H.A. 317 Oahu BISH 1956-01-24
21 Barleria cristata BYU-HC Preserved_Specimen A small shrub 2-4' with downy branches. Each flower is accompanied by two oval, spiny-edged green to white bracts. Lee, P. 21 Oahu BISH 1975-03-17
22 Barleria cristata Kalaupapa; E side of road between Oceanview and airport Preserved_Specimen 1 m erect branching shrub; leaves opposite, stigose; floral bracts numerous, drying white, spinose margins Wysong, M.L. 798 Molokai BISH 2005-08-22
23 Barleria cristata Laie Temple Court, Laie Growing as a hedge. Preserved_Specimen Luke, K. 52 Oahu BISH 1960-11-30
24 Barleria cristata Hawaii Sugar Planters Association Preserved_Specimen Shrub, 80+/- cm. tall. Flower blue. Brown, F.B.H. Oahu BISH 1925-12-01
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