Greek grapho — write, phyllon — leaf, referring to the ornamented leaves.
Evergreen, hairless shrubs. Leaves opposite, entire,mostly variously spotted or blotched. Flower clusters terminal or axillary, sometimes branched. Flowers with 2-lipped tubes. Stamens 2. Fruit a capsule.
Cultivated as indoor plants for their ornamental foliage. The Queensland native species, G. excelsum, G. spinigerum and G. thorogoodii are sometimes supplied.
Softwood cuttings.
Bracts shorter than sepals; sterile stamens 2.
10 species from Australasia and the SW Pacific.
Source: (2002). Acanthaceae. In: . 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.