Kattimullu / Hopehead
Barleria buxifolia
Also known as Iksura, Box-Leaved Barleria
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala
- Flowering
- August-February
How to identify Kattimullu
Identify Kattimullu by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a undershrub habit.
- Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
- Confirm flower colour: Purple.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-February.
- In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala.
- Confirm it sits within the Acanthaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Kattimullu.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Barleria buxifolia
- Genus
- Barleria
- Family
- Acanthaceae
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Habitat
- Scrub forests
- Native to
- India
- Distribution
- India
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-February
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kattimullu itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- PurplerecordedPurple or violet
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kattimullu itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Tamil
- Kattimullu, Rosmullippuntu, பார்லேரியா பக்சிஃபோலியா
- Kannada
- ಗಂಡುಚೊಟ್ಟೆಮುಳ್ಳು Gandu chotte mullu, ಕರೀಚುಳ್ಳಿ Karichulli, ಗುಬ್ಬಿಮುಳ್ಳು Gubbi mullu
- Malayalam
- Caraschulli, Karaculli, Karicculli
About Kattimullu
Hopehead (Barleria buxifolia) belongs to the Acanthaceae family, where it grows as a low shrub. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. It grows in scrub forests. Flowering and fruiting run from August to February.
Acanthaceae
Acanthus family
Kattimullu belongs to the Acanthaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Acanthaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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