Barleria gueinzii Sond.

Flora Zambesiaca Acanthaceae (part 2) by Iain Darbyshire, Kaj Vollesen and Ensermu Kelbessa

Morphology General Habit

Perennial herb or shrub 50–250 cm tall, often scrambling or scandent; stems with pale appressed or ascending stiff or flexuose hairs, upper internodes often with shorter spreading or retrorse hairs on two opposite sides.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves ovate(-elliptic), 3–9.5 × 1.8–5 cm, base rounded, truncate or shortly attenuate, apex acute to attenuate, surfaces with pale ascending or subappressed hairs most numerous on margin and veins beneath where sometimes with a swollen base; lateral veins 4–6 pairs; petiole 6–27 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences axillary, sometimes clustered in upper leaf axils and forming a leafy thyrse, flowers solitary or often in 2–3-flowered contracted unilateral cymes, peduncle 0–4 mm long; bracteoles linear to narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, 4.5–16.5 × 0.5–2.5 mm, margin entire or with minute teeth formed by swollen hair bases, apex acute; pedicels 0.5–2.5 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx membranous, green or pale green with darker reticulate venation, tardily scarious; anterior lobe ovate to obovate, 11–17(21) × 7–13(15) mm, base shallowly cordate to cuneate or attenuate, margin with apiculate teeth, minute to more elongate, each with an apical bristle, apex obtuse, rounded or emarginate in outline, with 1–3 teeth, surface sparsely strigulose mainly on veins, sometimes with short spreading glandular hairs mainly along margin; posterior lobe ovate or elliptic, 13.5–23 mm long, apex acute- or attenuate-apiculate; lateral lobes pale, ovate or lanceolate, 2.5–7 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla 27–49 mm long, pale blue to mauve or purple, with paler tube and purple stripes in throat, glandular-pilose externally; tube 16–25 mm long, campanulate to broadly so above attachment point of stamens; limb in 4+1 arrangement or weakly so; abaxial lobe 12–21 × 11–16 mm, offset by 2–6 mm; lateral lobes (7.5)10–17 × 8–15 mm; adaxial lobes (8)9.5–15 × 5.5–10 mm.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens attached 6.5–11 mm from base of corolla tube; filaments 21–29 mm long; anthers 2.5–3.5 mm long; lateral staminodes 1.5–3.5 mm long, pilose and/or minutely glandular-pubescent, antherodes 0.5–0.8 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary glabrous or with few minute hairs towards apex; style glabrous; stigma clavate or linear, 0.6–1.2 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule 16.5–17.5 mm long, glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 4–5 mm long and wide.