Weed Habitat 

• Barleria is a native to tropical Asia, Africa and India that invades open woodland habitats and along watercourses, surviving the dry season and growing vigorously with onset of the wet.  It can form dense prickly thickets.

Description 

• A robust, prickly shrub to about 1m high.
• 3-5 sharp, pale-coloured spines 1-2cm long, in leaf axils.
• Branches are smooth, brown and roughly square in cross-section.
• Oval leaves 10-12cm long and 4cm wide with a pointed tip ending in a short spine.
• Yellow, tubular flowers about 4cm long with long projecting stamens occur in upright spikes at the top of the plant.
• Seed capsule is oval-shaped and about 18mm long, tapering into a 6mm long beak.  Seeds are large (8mm long and 5mm wide), flat and covered in matted hairs.
• Distinguished from Barleria prionitis because it has longer, narrower leaves which are darker green with a prominent red mid-vein.