Barleria lavaniana - Narrow-Petal Bush-Violet

Narrow-Petal Bush-Violet 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-Flower Bush-Violet, 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. Narrow-Petal Bush-Violet is only known from Maharashtra. Flowering: September-December.