Barleria lavaniana - Lavania Barleria

Lavania Barleria is a newly discovered (2019) perennial, profusely branched shrub, up to 1.5 m tall. The species is named in honour of Umesh Chandra Lavania, for his outstanding contribution in the field of plant cytogenetics. It is quite similar to Long Flowered Barleria, but has many distinguishing features. Flowers are 7-11 cm long as compared to 6.5-9 cm long flowers of Long Flowered Barleria, and petals are lanceshaped-ovate as compared to the oblong-obovoid petals of Long Flowered Barleria. It is also differs in the filament of the stamen being 5-5.2 cm long and presence of three staminodes (vs. the filament 1.7-1.8 cm long and presence of two staminodes in B. longiflora); the style being longer and velvet-hairy at the base (vs. shorter style that is hairless throughout in B. longiflora). Leaves are 3.6-13.7 x 2.5-8 cm, stalked; blade leathery, ovate; base rounded in young leaves, wedge-shaped in old leaves (rarely oblique); tip pointed; surface woolly, upper surface light-green, lower surface yellowish-green. Lavania Barleria is only known from Maharashtra. Flowering: September-December.