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.

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

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