Justicia

Justicia is a genus of about 420 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, native to tropical to warm temperate regions of the Americas, with two species occurring north into cooler temperate regions. Common names include water-willow and shrimp plant, the latter from the inflorescences, which resemble a shrimp in some species.


Selected species
Justicia brandegeeana (Mexican Shrimp Plant or Shrimp Plant; syn. Beloperone guttata Brandeg.) is an evergreen perennial shrub in the genus Justicia, native to Mexico.
It grows to 1 m tall (rarely more) with spindly limbs. The leaves are oval, green, 3-7.5 cm long. The flowers are white, extending from red bracts which look a bit like a shrimp, hence the shrub's common name, shrimp flower.
The species is named after the American botanist Townshend Stith Brandegee.
The shrimp plant, a common ornamental shrub, thrives in the shade in tropical areas and can be propagated by stem cuttings. It does best in well-drained sandy or loamy soil, but is generally low maintenance and drought-tolerant. The flowers fade somewhat in the full sun.
The flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies. A number of cultivars are available, with different flower bract colors, including yellow, pink and dark brick-red.

Justicia americana - American Water-willow is a herbaceous, aquatic flowering plant in the Acanthus family native to North America.

Justicia californica is a species of flowering shrub native to the deserts of southern California, Arizona, and northern Mexico. Its common names include chuparosa, hummingbird bush, and beloperone. It is one of the northernmost distributed species of the mostly tropical genus Justicia. This is a low bush which grows in dry, hot regions in the sand or rocky terrain of the desert floor. For a short time it bears succulent leaves. It loses its leaves and then produces plentiful tubular flowers, usually in shades of bright to deep red, or sometimes yellow. Each long flower has a wide lower lip that falls open to reveal the inside of the blossom. Hummingbirds visit the bush to feed on the nectar; the common name chuparosa is Spanish for hummingbird. Other birds eat the sugar-rich flower centers. This plant is sometimes cultivated as a landscape ornamental in desert regions for its bright flowers and to attract birds.

Justicia pectoralis is a herb known as tilo in Cuba and other Latin American countries (e.g. Costa Rica, Dominican Rep., Venezuela) and chapantye in Haiti. In Cuba and other countries from Brazil to the US it is used in folk medicine as a relaxant and general tonic.

Justicia rizzinii is a plant native of Brazilian vegetation.

Justicia spicigera (Mexican honeysuckle or mohintli) is an evergreen shrub with tubular orange flowers. The species is native to Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua.

Justicia umbrosa (Brazilian plume, Yellow Jacobinia) is a ornamental shrub native of Cerrado vegetation of Brazil. This plant may be propagated by herbaceous stem cutting, and it can usually get to 1,50 - 2,50 m tall.

Yushania

Yushania is a genus of bamboo always of the family Poaceae and now of the woody bamboo tribe Bambuseae and the supertribe Bambusodae which have both been experiencing many name changes. The species of Yushania are evergreen, spreading,... more >>>

Adenium

Adenium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, containing a single species, Adenium obesum, also known as Sabi Star, Kudu or Desert-rose. It is native to tropical and subtropical eastern and southern Africa and Arabia.more >>>

Decaisnea

Decaisnea is a genus of flowering plant in the family Lardizabalaceae, native to eastern Asia, from China west to Nepal and south to Myanmar.

They are deciduous shrubs or small trees growing to 5-8 m tall with trunks up to 20 cm... more >>>

Iberis - Candytuft

Iberis is a genus of flowering plant belonging to the family Brassicaceae. It comprises herbs and subshrubs of the Old World. These species are commonly known as candytufts. Used in Homeopathy for nervousness and muscle soreness. According to... more >>>

Wikstroemia

Wikstroemia is a genus of flowering plants, in the family Thymelaeaceae.


Species
Wikstroemia indica is a flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae. It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in... more >>>