Beloperone
(from belos, an arrow, and peronne, a band; in reference to the arrow-shaped connectivum). SYN. Dianthera. ORD. Acanthaceae. Very pretty stove evergreen shrubs, allied to Justicia. Flowers blue or purple, borne in secund, axillary, or terminal spikes, frequently subtended with coloured bracts; corolla gaping, the upper lip concave, the lower trifid. They are easily cultivated in a compost of loam, leaf soil, peat, and sand. Propagated by young cuttings, taken in spring. Beloperones may also be treated like Justicias (which see), and will succeed admirably. There are a large number of species, but few of which have been introduced.
B. oblongata (oblong). fl. rosy-purple; spikes axillary; anthers calcarate at base; bracts bracteolate. Summer. l. oblong-lanceolate, opposite. h. 3ft. Brazil, 1832. (B. H. 9, 9.) B. violacea (violet-coloured).* fl. violet. l. lanceolate, acuminate, entire. h. 3ft. New Grenada, 1859. (B. M. 5244.)