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Philippine violet (Barleria cristata)

Philippine violet (Barleria cristata) is a plant species in the Acanthaceae, erect stems up to 2 m high, terete stems, branched, covered with soft trichomes, grows wild on roadsides, slopes, along rivers, xeric vegetation at altitudes of 100-2600 m and many used as an ornamental and medicinal plant.

B. cristata has a petiole for a length of 0.3-1 cm, leaf blade oval to oblong ovate, rounded base, pointed tip, 2-10 cm long, 1-4 cm wide, a bone in the middle, the villi surface especially along the veins, 4-7 secondary veins on each side of the midvein, base cuneate and decurrent to the stalk.

Dlium Philippine violet (Barleria cristata)


Inflorescences of axillary cymes are short and dense, short pedunculate, variable bracteoles, linear to linear-lanceolate, 2.4-6.5 cm long, 0.5-1.5 cm wide, 3-7 veins, cuneate base, usually spiny edges but sometimes accumulates and becomes spinescent with time and sharp peaks.

The outer petal lobes are ovoid into a narrow ellipse to lanceolate, 1.2-2.5 cm long, 0.5-1.3 cm wide, pilose, reticular vein, spiny edge, apex mucronate. The inner petal lobes are linear to lanceolate, 6-12 mm, 1 veined and margin scarious.

The corolla is purplish blue, 4.5-6.5 cm and the outside is pilose. The tube at the base is a narrow cylinder then gradually widens. The lobes are oval or elliptical and 1.5 cm. Four stamens and didynamous. The filaments accumulate primarily towards the base, a staminode and rarely pilose filaments.

The ovary is ellipsoid and glabrous, the force is linear, 2.5 cm and the stigma is slightly increased. The capsules are 1.2-1.8 cm wide, bare and contain 4 seeds, subglobose to ovate, 4-5 mm long and 4 mm wide.



Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Lamiales
Family: Acanthaceae
Subfamily: Acanthoideae
Tribe: Barlerieae
Genus: Barleria
Species: Barleria cristata