Barleria L.

Darbyshire, I., Tripp, E.A. & Chase, F.M. (2019). A taxonomic revision of Acanthaceae tribe Barlerieae in Angola and Namibia. Part 1. Kew Bulletin 74: 5. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-018-9791-0

Type

Type species: Barleria cristata L.

Morphology General Habit

Perennial herbs, suffrutices, shrubs or climbers, sometimes spiny; stems angular or subterete; cystoliths present, numerous, often occuring in adjacent cells and sometimes appearing to cross, ± conspicuous

Morphology Leaves

Leaves evergreen or deciduous, opposite-decussate, petiolate or sessile, pairs equal or somewhat anisophyllous, margin (sub) entire or more rarely toothed or spinose

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences simple and axillary or compounded into a terminal synflorescence; cymose with monochasial and/or dichasial branching or cymes reduced to a single flower; bract pairs (sub-)equal, foliaceous or reduced and/or highly modified; bracteole pairs equal or dimorphic, often highly modified from the bracts

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx divided almost to the base, 4-lobed, anterior and posterior (outer) lobes usually considerably larger and proportionally broader than the lateral (inner) lobes, anterior lobe often emarginate or bifid

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla usually showy; tube cylindrical throughout or campanulate to funnel-shaped above insertion point of stamens; limb 5-lobed or rarely the adaxial pair fully fused or absent, subregular to zygomorphic. Perfected stamens 2 or rarely 4; filaments inserted at various levels within the corolla tube, anterior pair of stamens with filaments twisted through 180° and crossing near the base; anthers bithecous, thecae parallel, muticous, exserted or rarely included within the corolla tube; staminodes (or imperfect stamens) 2 or 3, adaxial staminode often less well developed than the lateral pair or absent, with or without antherodes, these often producing a few pollen grains

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc

Disk cupular

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary 2-locular, 2 ovules per locule or one aborting very early; style filiform; stigma subcapitate to linear, either with 2 subconfluent lobes, or with 1 lobe much-reduced or absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule ± compressed laterally, fertile portion rounded to fusiform, with or without a prominent sterile apical beak, placental base inelastic but lateral walls sometimes thin and tearing from the thickened flanks at dehiscence; seeds 2 or 4 per capsule, held on retinacula, usually (ovate- or triangular-) discoid and with surfaces covered in long hygroscopic hairs, rarely only subflattened and with unevenly distributed minute hairs.