Yellow Barleria,

Giant Yellow Shrimp Plant

Barleria oenotheroides Dum. Cours.

bar-LAIR-ee-ah een-oh-theer-OID-eez

Acanthaceae

Explanation of name:   The generic names honors French botanist Jacque Barrelier (1606-1673).   The specific epithet reflects similarity to the genus Ooenothera.

Natural range:   Mesoamerica, South America

Note: Often marketed incorrectly labeled as Barleria micans

This is the only Barleria in the New World, and is found also in Africa.  

This plant has an interesting biogeographic story –

of the roughly 300 species of Barleria, this is the only one that is found in the New World. For

many years it was thought to be an endemic species of the New World, but recent work has

shown that it is conspecific with a species in tropical West Africa. As such, it is the only member

http://www.socalhort.org/green-sheets/2006/SCHS_GreenSheet_2006_01.pdf

Recognition:  Leaves opposite.  Bracteate spike with bright yellow bilaterally symmetrical flowers.

Landscape uses:   Flowering perennial, colorful in semishaded or shaded situations

Internet sources: http://www.kartuz.com/p/50304/Barleria+oenotheroides.html

http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/BARLERIA_MICANS.htm