Commemorating J. Barrelier (d. 1673), French botanist

Evergreen shrubs and perennial herbs. Leaves opposite, entire, generally with spines in the leaf axils. Flowers in axillary or terminal spikes and generally with spiny bracts. Sepals 4, the outer pair larger than the inner pair, tubular, narrow. Petal lobes 5, spreading. Stamens 4, in unequal pairs. Fruit a hairy capsule containing flat seeds.

Mostly grown in warm climates or as indoor plants in cooler regions.

Seed and softwood cuttings.

Flowers 5-lobed; bracts longer than the 4 sepals which are divided to the base; spines in the leaf axils.

About 250 species from the tropics and subtropics.

Source: Spencer, R. (2002). Acanthaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 4. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 3. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.