Color ~ Colorless, white, light blue, light yellow, light red, light green
Streak ~ White
Luster ~ Vitreous to pearly
Hardness ~ 2.5 to 3.5
Crystal Shape ~ Orthorhombic
Cleavage / Fracture ~ Very good, basal, prismatic
3 interesting facts
1: In the United Kingdom, the spelling has traditionally been "Baryte"
2:The United States produces much less barite than it uses. In 2011 the U.S. imported about 2.3 million metric tons of barite but produced only about 700,000 metric tons.
3: For medical testing, a patient may drink a small cup of liquid containing barium powder which will coat the patient's esophagus.
Sources : http://www.softschools.com/facts/minerals/barite_facts/3029/ ,http://geology.com/minerals/barite.shtml