Category: Eco Park

This photograph was taken at the Sanjeevi Malai Eco Park area. It shows Barleria buxifolia, a hardy native plant commonly known as Box-leaved Barleria. In Tamil, it is known as Kattimullu.

Kattimullu is a spiny shrub or sub-shrub that usually grows about 1-3 feet tall. The plant has green, branched stems with many sharp spines at the base of the leaves. Its leaves are small, oval to obovate in shape, about 8-16 mm long, hairy on both sides, and almost without stalks.

Despite its thorny appearance, the plant produces attractive tubular or funnel-shaped flowers that are usually white, violet, or purple-blue. The fruit is a capsule that typically contains about four seeds. The plant generally flowers from November to March, though it may also bloom between July and October depending on rainfall.

Kattimullu is well adapted to drought and poor soil conditions. Hence, it is suitable for dryland restoration and eco-park landscapes.