Porcupine flower (Barleria prionitis)

Landep or porcupine flower (Barleria prionitis) is a species of plant in the Acanthaceae, shrub, branched, up to 1.8 meters high, lower leaf axils have spines 1-2 cm long, stems and branches terete, smooth, lenticels and glabrous.

B. prionitis has elliptical to ovate leaves, up to 20 cm long, 8 cm wide, both surfaces pubescent when young but soon become glabrous. Flowers are golden yellow, clustered in the axils of the upper leaves or in the bracts. Apical spinous calyx lobes and crown are yellowish to orange in color.





Porcupine flower grows on forest floors, meadows, plantations, roadsides, shrubs and dry places with elevations up to 600 meters. This plant is used in traditional medicine to treat whooping cough and tuberculosis, infected wounds, toothache, ulcers and swollen glands, rheumatism and prevent maceration.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Acanthaceae Subfamily: Acanthoideae Tribe: Barlerieae Genus: Barleria L. in Sp. Pl.: 636 (1753) Species: Barleria prionitis L. in Sp. Pl.: 636 (1753) Subspecies: Barleria prionitis subsp. angustissima (Hochr.) Benoist, Barleria prionitis subsp. appressa (Forssk.) Brummitt & J.R.I.Wood, Barleria prionitis subsp. induta (C.B.Clarke) Brummitt & J.R.I.Wood, Barleria prionitis subsp. prionitis, Barleria prionitis subsp. pubiflora (Benth. ex Hohen.) Brummitt & J.R.I.Wood

PUBLICATIONS

Ananda Rao, T. & Ellis, J.L. (1995). Flora of Lakshadweep islands off the Malabar coast, peninsular India, with emphasis on phytogeographical distribution of plants. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 19: 235-250.

Balkrishna, A. (2018). Flora of Morni Hills (Research & Possibilities): 1-581. Divya Yoga Mandir Trust.

Collenette, S. (1999). Wildflowers of Saudi Arabia: 1-799. National commission for wildlife conservation and development (NCWCD), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Deng, Y.F., Li, Z.Y., Wang, Q. & Peng, H. (2020). Flora of Pan-Himalaya 46: 1-570. Science Press, Beijing. Cambridge University Press.

Govaerts, R. (1996). World Checklist of Seed Plants 2(1, 2): 1-492. MIM, Deurne.

Karthigeyan, K., Pandey, R.P. & Mao, A.A. (eds.) (2023). Flora of Andaman and Nicobar Islands 2: 1-689. Botanical Survey of India. Ministry of environment, forest and climate change.

Kotiya, A., Solanki, Y. & Reddy, G.V. (2020). Flora of Rajasthan: 1-769. Rajasthan state biodiversity board.

Kress, W.J., DeFilipps, R.A., Farr, E. & Kyi, D.Y.Y. (2003). A Checklist of the Trees, Shrubs, Herbs and Climbers of Myanmar. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 45: 1-590. Smithsonian Institution.

Lê, T.C. (2005). Danh lục các loài thực vật Việt Nam 3: 1-1248. Hà Nội : Nhà xuất bản Nông nghiệp.

Malik, K.A. & Ghafoor, A. (1988). Flora of Pakistan 188: 1-79. Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi.

Meena, S.L. (2012). A checklist of the vascular plants of Banaskantha district, Gujarat, India. Nelumbo 54: 39-91.

Newman, M., Ketphanh, S., Svengsuksa, B., Thomas, P., Sengdala, K., Lamxay, V. & Armstrong, K. (2007). A checklist of the vascular plants of Lao PDR: 1-394. Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.

Ningombam, D.S. (2014). The family Acanthaceae for the flora of Manipur: 1-115. LAP Lambert academic publishing.

Pandey, R.P. & Dilwakar, P.G. (2008). An integrated check-list flora of Andaman and Nicobar islands, India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 32: 403-500.

Rajbhandari, K.R., Rai, S.K. & Chhetri, R. (2022). A Handbook of the Flowering Plants of Nepal 4: 1-522. Department of Plant Resources, Thapathali, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Shaheen, H., Qureshi, R., Akram, A., Gulfraz, M. & Potter, D. (2014). A preliminary floristic checklist of Thal desert Punjab, Pakistan. Pakistn Journal of Botany 46: 13-18.

Shendage, S.M. & Yadav, S.R. (2010). Revision of the genus Barleria (Acanthaceae) in India. Rheedea 20: 81-130.

Sikarwar, R.L.S. (2014). Angiosperm diversity assessment of Chitrakootthe legendary place of Vindhyan range, India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 38: 563-619.

Thaman, R.R., Fosberg, F.R., Manner, H.I. & Hassall, D.C. (1994). The Flora of Nauru. Atoll Research Bulletin 392: 1-223.

Turner, I.M. (1995). A catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Malaya. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 47(1): 1-346.

Wu, Z. & Raven, P.H. (eds.) (2011). Flora of China 19: 1-884. Science Press (Beijing) & Missouri Botanical Garden Press (St. Louis).

VERNACULAR NAME

Bengali: কান্তাজহিন্তি - পিতাজহিন্তি Kāntājahinti, Pitājahinti
English: Porcupine flower
Gujarati: Pilo kantasheliyo
Hindi: वज्रदंती - झिंटी - पौरूष - पीला पियाबांसा - पीली कटसरैया - Vajradanti, Jhinti, Parush, Pila piyabansa, Pili katsaraiya
Indonesian: Landep
Kachchhi: Kandha aserio, Kanta aserio
Kannada: Haladi gorate, Kurantaka, Madarangi gida, Mullugoranta, Mullu goranti, Haladi goranti
Konkani: Koranti
Malayalam: Chemmulli, Manjakanakambaram, Mannakkanakambaram, Shemmuli, Vennkurinjiveru, Kattukanakambaram
Marathi: Kolita, Pivali koranti
Nepali: वज्रदन्ति Vajradanti
Odia: Daskaranta, Kanta malati, Pita, Pitaka, Pita kurabaka, Pura, Supita
Sanskrit: Artagalah, Bana, Dasi kurantakah, Jhinti, Kakubha, Kinkiratah, Kurantakah, Kuravakah, Mahasaha, Mrdukantah, Pitakurantakah, Pitakuravah, Pitamlanah, Pitapushpakah, Pitasairiyakah, Sahacharah, Sahachaara, Udyanapaki, Vajradanti
Sinhala: සෙමුල්ලි Semulli
Tamil: செம்-முல்லி - கோரந்தம் - கோடி-ப்-பச்சலை - கோவிந்தம் - குறிஞ்சி - குடான் - மங்கட்-செம்முல்லி - கட்டுகனகாம்பரம் Cem-mulli, Korantam, Koti-p-pacalai, Kovintam, Kurinci, Kutan, Mancat-cemmulli, Kattukanagambaram
Telugu: Gorantachettu, Mullu goranta
Tulu: Ane gorante, Gente pu, Gorante, Gorate dai, Manjal goranti

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