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The following description is taken from Flora of China Editorial Committee (2015).
B. prionitis is a small, erect, spiny shrub, up to 1.8 m tall with spines in lower leaf axils, branched. Stems and branches terete, smooth, lenticellate, glabrous. Petiole 1-2.5 cm;leaf blade elliptic to ovate, 4-10.5 × 1.8-5.5 cm, both surfaces pubescent when young but soon glabrescent, sparsely strigose along midvein, base attenuate and decurrent onto petiole, margin entire, apex acute. Flowers clustered in axils of upper leaves and/or bracts;bracts linear-oblong, 1.2-2.2 × 0.2-0.8 cm, margin ciliate, apex abruptly acuminate;bracteoles linear-lanceolate, to 1.4 × 0.2 cm, spine-tipped. Outer calyx lobes ovate-oblong, approximately 1.5 × 0.4 cm, apex mucronate;inner calyx lobes linear-lanceolate, approximately 1.3 × 0.2 cm, apex mucronate. Corolla yellow to orange, 2.4-4 cm, outside pilose;tube with narrow basal portion slightly shorter than throat;lobes ovate-oblong to orbicular, 8-10 × 6-7 mm, recurved. Stamens 4, longer pair approximately 1.1 cm with anthers approximately 3.2 mm, shorter pair approximately 1.5 mm with anthers approximately 1 mm. Ovary ovoid;stigma slightly enlarged, 2-cleft, exserted. Capsule ovoid, approximately 1.8 cm, contracted gradually at tip forming a beak, 2-seeded. Seeds ovate in outline, approximately 7 × 5 mm.

Related invasive species

  • Barleria prionitis

Related Farm Practice

  • Flora
Impact

B. prionitis is a fast growing perennial plant widely commercialized as an ornamental to be planted in open sunny areas in gardens, yards, and parks. This species has frequently escaped in many tropical areas where it grows as a weed in disturbed areas, forest edges, rocky outcrops, near streams, along roads, and in overgrazed pastures (Francis, 2004). B. prionitis has the potential to grow in a wide range of climates and soil types. Additionally, it is adapted to grow in open, full sunny areas and in highly disturbed sites as well as in the understory of secondary forests.
B. prionitis has a great dispersal capability. It spreads sexually by seeds and vegetatively by stem fragments (PIER, 2015;PROTA, 2015;Weeds of Australia, 2015). Currently, B. prionitis is listed as invasive in Australia, Puerto Rico, Mauritius, the Seychelles and Reunión Island (Meyer and Lavergne, 2004;PIER, 2015;Rojas-Sandoval and Acevedo-Rodriguez, 2015;Weeds of Australia, 2015). B. prionitis has the potential to cause economic and environmental damage by forming dense thickets that displace native vegetation and prevent revegetation by native plants. Thickets and large infestations can impede the movement of stock, restrict access to waterways and reduce the aesthetic values of natural areas (Weeds of Australia, 2015). It is on an alert list for environmental weeds in Australia (Waterhouse et al., 2003), as it is suggested that the species has the potential to seriously degrade ecosystems.

Has Cabi datasheet ID
8510
Oss tagged
x

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