Justicia adhatoda L.

Shrub to 1.25 m tall; stems subquadrangular, with dense golden yellow, strigose or pilose hairs in the young portions. Leaves elliptic, 7-17 cm long, 2.5-8 cm wide, apically acuminate with rounded tips, basally attenuate, sparingly strigose to strigose above, strigose beneath, more dense at the costa above and beneath making the costa appear golden yellow, drying dark green above some-times with a reddish brown cast, light green beneath; petioles 0.5 to 2.5 cm long, pubescence as on the stem. Inflorescences in compact terminal and axillary spikes to 6 cm long and 2 cm wide; bracts obovate to ovate, often asymmetrical, to 1.7 cm long and 1 cm wide, apically obtuse to acute, glandular puberulous on both surfaces, drying mostly to a dark reddish brown, ciliate; bracteoles elliptic oblong, to 12 mm long and 3 mm wide; rachis densely pilose glandular; peduncle 5-15 mm long, pubescence as on the stem. Flowers sessile, calyx 5-merous, equal, the lobes linear lanceolate, to 11 mm long and 1 mm wide at the base, glandular puberulous; corolla white to pink or purplish, ca. 20 mm long, bilabiate, the tube 13 mm long, 2 mm wide at the base, 2.5 mm wide at the throat, the upper lip erect, 15 mm long, 2.5 mm wide at the base, apically notched, the lower lip 3-lobed, each lobe elliptic, ca. 6.5 mm long, 2.5 mm wide, apically obtuse, the upper corolla puberulous outside, glabrous inside, lower half glabrous; stamens exserted ca. 5 mm beyond the mouth of the corolla, the filaments ca. 5 mm long, glabrous, the anther cells 1 mm long, unequal, the tipper cell 1 mm above the lower cell, the lower cell apiculate. Capsule puberulous; seeds orbicular, 2-2.5 mm wide, glabrous.

A tropical plant. In Nepal it grow to about 2700 m altitude. It needs a temperature above 7°C. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens. In Yunnan. In XTBG Yunnan.

The tender leaves and flowers are cooked as a vegetable. They are also eaten raw. The flowers are eaten fried. The harvested flowers can be stored for 5 days. The nectar of the flowers is sucked.

Plants are grown from seeds or cuttings of the branches.