Barleria repens

Native from southeastern Kenya to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, this evergreen, creeping shrub usually reaches about 2 feet tall, but can scramble to about 7 feet over other plants. It is grown as a groundcover and for flowers in shades of red, pink, salmon, or mauve. In South Africa, flowering is most abundant in late summer and autumn. Stems root where they touch the ground, and ripe capsules eject their seeds. It is naturalized in Hawaii, United States, and is an environmental weed in coastal New South Wales, Australia, where dense growth can smother native plants. Photographed in Barranquilla, Colombia.