Barleria glutinosa Champl.

Flora Zambesiaca Acanthaceae (part 2) by Iain Darbyshire, Kaj Vollesen and Ensermu Kelbessa

Morphology General Habit

Spreading perennial herb or shrublet 30–80 cm tall, branches decumbent or procumbent; stems with mixed short white ± retrorse hairs and long coarse ± spreading pale-buff or yellow hairs, often also viscid glandular-pubescent at least on upper internodes.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves sometimes immature at flowering, subsessile, ovate-elliptic to lanceolate, 1–3.5 × 0.5–1.5 cm, base obtuse or rounded, margin revolute when young, apex acute, mucronulate, surfaces with ± dense long pale-buff coarse spreading or ascending hairs, young leaves often viscid glandular-pubescent; lateral veins 2–4 pairs.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence axillary, 1(2)-flowered, densely viscid glandular-pubescent throughout; peduncles spreading-ascending, 9–26 mm long; bracteoles linear(oblanceolate), 5–13 × 1–1.5 mm, margin entire, apex spinulose; pedicels (1)4–16 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx pale green or brownish at first with darker reticulate venation, later turning scarious; outer lobes subequal (posterior lobe marginally longer), elliptic, oblong or lanceolate, 11–19 × 3.5–6 mm, margin entire, apex acute, attenuate or anterior lobe sometimes notched to 2.5 mm, mucronate, surfaces densely glandular-pubescent and sparsely strigose; lateral lobes linear-lanceolate, 9–15 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla 45–56 mm long, pale pink to mauve or white, limb sometimes with darker magenta stripes, pubescent externally with mixed eglandular and glandular hairs; tube cylindrical, 26–35 mm long; limb in 2+3 arrangement; abaxial lobe c.18 × 10–15 mm; lateral lobes 17–21 × 10–17 mm; adaxial lobes as laterals but 7–13 mm wide.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens attached 15–18 mm from base of corolla tube; filaments 21–25 mm long; anthers 3–5 mm long; lateral staminodes 2.5–6 mm long, sparsely hairy at base, apex clavate, antherodes undeveloped.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary with tuft of deflexed hairs at apex, proximal portion of style often with scattered longer hairs; stigma subcapitate or clavate, 0.3–0.5 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule 18–19 mm long, glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds not seen.

Distribution

Also in southern D.R. Congo.

Ecology

Dry rocky or sandy hillslopes with open vegetation or stunted Brachystegia woodland; 1000–1250 m.

Conservation

Conservation notes: Very localised and scarce, known from only 10 collections, mostly in the vicinity of the Great East Road in SE Zambia; no information available for the Congo population; probably Vulnerable under IUCN criterion B.