Acanthaceae

Barleria prionitis

Common Names: Barleria, porcupine flower

Plant Form: Upright prickly shrub. Size: Up to 1.8 m tall, usually under 1 m. Stem: Robust, squarish, greenish when young to rounded light brown or grey when mature. Leaves: Oppositely arranged, oval or elliptic in shape, sometimes slightly hairy underside, with a spine pointed tip. Flowers: Showy bright yellow-orange, tubular, up to 4 cm long, in bunches at the end of branches, sometimes singly at leaf bases. With spreading spines at base and long protruding stamens. Fruit and Seeds: Hairless capsules up to 2 cm long with a beak-like end, containing 2 flat, hairy seeds. Habitat: Savanna, roadsides, pastures, riverbanks. Distinguishing Features: Distinguished from Hophead barleria (Barleria lupalina) by lack of red leaf midrib. Impacts: Forms dense thickets reducing grazing land and biodiversity, shelters pest animals, spines may injure people, affects indigenous harvesting.