Barleria eranthemoides R.Br. ex C.B.Clarke

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Pungent shrub up to 20 cm tall, fairly much branched from the base; young stems almost glabrous but with some appressed up to c. 1 mm long hairs at nodes

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, up to 40–55 x 14–23 mm, almost glabrous but with some up to 1 mm long spreading to appressed hairs along veins and margins, apex mucronate with spine up to c. 2.5 mm long, base attenuate; petiole indistinct, c. 1–4 mm long

Morphology General Spines

Axillary spines 4 in each leaf-axil, up to 13–17 mm long, on up to c. 1 mm long common stalk

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence apical and spike-like, composed of strongly contracted upper nodes with axillary single flowers; bracts lanceolate, leaf-like, sometimes with glands on lower surface towards base, up to 20–27 x 5.5 mm, mucronate with apical spine up to c. 5 mm long; bracteoles narrowly lanceolate-mucronate with little blade, transformed into spines, up to 16–20 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx green or whitish green, glabrous; outer lobes equal, ovate-mucronate, up to 16–17 mm long, including a spine of about half the length

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla cream orange, 25–34 mm long, lobes subequal, tube narrow, 25–27 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule 2-seeded, up to12 mm long, tapering into a long beak, glabrous.

Distribution

N1; C2; S2 eastern tropical Africa

Ecology

Altitude range 150–1580 m.

Vernacular

Shasha, wana ad (Somali).