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Barleria longiflora
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Family:
ACANTHACEAE
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Citation: Barleria longiflora L.f., Suppl. Pl. 290. 1781; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 4: 485. 1884; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 1059(742). 1924.
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Malayalam Name(s):
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Tamil name(s):
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English name(s):
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Description:
Annual or perennial, stout, erect herbs, up to 1 m high; stem subquadrangular, pinkish, densely hairy below the nodes. Leaves sessile, in whorls of 6-8, with 6 axillary spines at each node, outer pair larger, 6-15 x 1.5-4 cm, lanceolate, lineolate, with numerous stiff hairs on the lamina and small hairs on the margin; spines straight or curved, ca 3 cm long. Flowers in axillary whorls of 4-8 at each node, surrounded by slightly recurved spines; bracts leafy, lanceolate, spathulate, 1.5-2.5 cm long, 4-6 mm wide, with long stiff hairs along papery white margins, purplish green along the central portion; bracteoles linear-lanceolate, 1-2 cm long, 3-6 mm wide. Calyx-lobes 4, unequal; outer lobe large, lanceolate, 1.5-2 cm long, 3-5 mm wide. Corolla bluish purple; tube 1-1.5 cm long, white, widened upwards, 1-1.6 cm l long, 4-6 mm across, 2-lipped; lobes obtuse, ciliate. Stamens 4, united in pairs, didynamous, 0.5-1.5 cm long; anther-thecae 2-4 mm long. Ovary oblong, 2-3 x 1-1.5 mm; ovules 4 per locule; style 2.5-3 cm long, pubescent. Capsules linear-oblong, 1-1.5 cm long, 3-5 mm wide; seeds 4-8, orbicular, 2-4 mm across; retinacula long and curved.
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Habit:
Herb
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Flowering & Fruiting:
November-February
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District(s):
Idukki
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Medicinal:
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Habitat:
Dry deciduous forest and scrub jungles
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Distribution:
Peninsular India
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Aquatic:
No
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Epiphyte(s):
No
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Saprophyte:
No
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Stem parasite:
No
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Root parasite:
No
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Flower colour(s):
White
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Weed:
No
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Monocot/Dicot:
Dicotyledonous Plants
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Exotic:
No
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Garden:
No
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Edible:
No
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Vegetable:
No
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Endemic to:
Peninsular India
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IUCN status:
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Altitude:
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Localities:
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