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habit (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
habit (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
hairy stem with paired branches (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
leaves (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
flowers (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
immature fruit (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
mature fruit (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
Scientific Name
Barleria cristata L.
Family
Acanthaceae
Common Names
barleria, bluebell barleria, crested Philippine violet, Philippine violet
Origin
Native to southern Asia (i.e. eastern India and Myanmar).
Naturalised Distribution
Occasionally naturalised in northern and south-eastern Queensland.
Also naturalised on Christmas Island, in south-eastern USA (i.e. Florida) and on several Pacific islands (i.e. Fiji, New Caledonia and Hawaii).
Notes
A commonly cultivated garden plant (i.e. ornamental) that has recently become naturalised in the sub-tropical and tropical regions of eastern Australia. It is regarded as a potential environmental weed or "sleeper weed" in Queensland, and like many other members of the Acanthaceae family it is seen as a threat to riparian areas.
Note: a white-flowered cultivar of this species (i.e. Barleria cristata 'Alba') is present amongst cultivated and naturalised populations.