Barleria virgula C.B.Clarke

Slender spiny shrublet, 5-50 cm tall; stems with short white retrorse hairs evenly distributed or restricted to two opposite-decussate lines. Leaves often clustered on short lateral branches, oblanceolate, linear or narrowly oblong-elliptic, 0.8-2.7 x 0.15-0.6 cm, base cuneate, margin often involute when dry, apex acute to rounded, mucronulate, with ± appressed white to yellowish hairs mainly on midrib beneath, young leaves sometimes with short crisped white hairs; lateral veins inconspicuous; petiole 0-2 mm. Inflorescence axillary, single-flowered, sessile; bracteoles spinose, 2.5-11.5 x 0.3-1 mm, entire or with 1-3 lateral spines on each margin to 4.5 mm long, midrib prominent, pairs persisting at lower nodes as paired axillary spines to 16 mm long. Calyx purplish or green when young, later turning pale-scarious; anterior lobe oblong-lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 6.5-12 x 1.3-4 mm, margin entire or usually with 2-5 flexuose spines or teeth to 2 mm long ending in a bristle, apex mucronate or bifidly so, surface sparsely strigulose; posterior lobe as anterior but 8.5-16 mm long, apex mucronate; lateral lobes linear-lanceolate, 5-9.5 mm long. Corolla 14-21.5 mm long, pale pink, mauve or blue, pubescent externally with retrorse eglandular hairs, limb also with spreading glandular hairs; tube 7.5-12 mm long, declinate towards base, throat campanulate; limb in weak 4+1 arrangement; abaxial lobe 5-8.5 x 4.5-7 mm, offset by 1.5-2 mm; lateral lobes as abaxial but 3.5-5.5 mm wide; adaxial lobes 2.5-5 mm wide. Stamens attached 4-5.5 mm from base of corolla tube; filaments 6-11.5 mm long; anthers 1-1.8 mm long; lateral staminodes 1-2.5 mm long, pubescent, antherodes 0.4-0.8 mm long. Ovary with apical ring of minute crisped hairs; style glabrous; stigma subcapitate, 0.2-0.4 mm long. Capsule 10-11 mm long, glabrous. Seeds c.3.5-4 x 3-3.5 mm.