Justicia exigua S.Moore

Species

Angiosperms > Lamiales > Acanthaceae > Justicia

Characteristics

Annual herb with much-branched erect, ascending or decumbent (then often rooting) stems to 45 cm long; stems bifariously puberulous and with few to many long broad curly many-celled hairs to 2 mm long. Leaves glabrous or with scattered long broad curly many-celled hairs along midrib, more rarely also on lamina and edges towards base; petiole 1-7 mm long; lamina elliptic or narrowly so, widest near middle, largest 0.8-3.8(5) x 0.3-1.5(2.5) cm; apex subacute to broadly rounded; base cuneate to attenuate. Spikes 3-6(7)-flowered; peduncle 0.2-2.5 cm long, bifariously puberulous or sparsely so and (towards base) often with long broad curly many-celled hairs; rachis 0.5-2.2 cm long, bifariously puberulous or sparsely so; bracts and bracteoles subulate to linear, 0.5-1.5 mm long, glabrous. Calyx glabrous; lobes linear, two lower 2-4 mm long, three upper 3-6 mm long. Corolla white with faint pink to mauve 'herring-bones' on lower lip and two pink lines on upper lip, 3.5-5 mm long; tube 1.5-2.5 mm long; upper lip 2-3 mm long; lower lip 2.5-3.5 mm long, middle lobe 1.5-2.5 x 1.5-2 mm Filaments 1.5-2 mm long; anthers c. 1 mm long, thecae c. 0.5 mm long. Capsule 4-6 mm long, with scattered hairs in apical half (rarely almost to base), sometimes with purple lines and patches. Seeds c. 1 mm in diameter.
More
Annual herb. Stems erect or decumbent, pubescent to densely pilose, denser and cottony at nodes, often with sand grains stuck to hairs. Leaves sparsely pilose, hairs denser on margin and veins, narrowly to broadly lanceolate, sometimes elliptic, 12-46-6 x 4-17 mm, apex acute or obtuse, base cuneate; petiole 3-11 mm long. Inflorescence as for J. anagalloides but usually 2 per node, one of each pair with a pair of reduced leaves near base, peduncles 5-23 mm long, with(2)3 or 4(-7)flowers near top. Corolla ±4 mm long, white with maroon lines on palate. Pollen 2-porate, 22-29 µm long, sexine areolate. Capsule 4-seeded, broadly lanceolate, delicate, glabrous or with short hairs confined to apex, (3.5-)4.0-5.0(-6.0) mm long.
A herb. It grows each year from seed. It can be erect or lie along the ground. The stems are 45 cm long. The leaves can have hairs along the midrib. The leaves are broadly oval or sword shaped. They are 12-46 mm long by 4-17 mm wide. The flowers are white with red lines.
Erect or decumbent annual herb. Inflorescence of long-pedunculate, elongate, axillary cymes; cymes 2 per node. Corolla ± 4 mm long. Capsule up to 4(-6) mm long, glabrous or usually with hairs at apex only. Flowers white with maroon lines.
Life form annual
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.05 - 0.3
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

It is a tropical plant.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

Uses medicinal social use
Edible leaves
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment soaking
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Justicia exigua leaf picture by susan brown (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Justicia exigua flower picture by susan brown (cc-by-sa)
Justicia exigua flower picture by susan brown (cc-by-sa)
Justicia exigua flower picture by susan brown (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Justicia exigua world distribution map, present in Burundi, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, United Republic of, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:50699-1
WFO ID wfo-0001033274
COL ID 3QWBS
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Justicia exilissima Justicia exigua