Justicia flava Vahl

Species

Angiosperms > Lamiales > Acanthaceae > Justicia

Characteristics

Perennial herb with 1 to several erect, ascending or scrambling stems from a creeping rhizome or woody rootstock; stems to 0.6(2 in scrambling plants) m long, subglabrous to retrorsely sericeous, rarely pubescent or antrorsely sericeous. Leaves sericeous-pubescent or sparsely so on midrib and larger veins, rarely also on lamina; petiole to 2(3.5) cm long; lamina narrowly to broadly ovate to elliptic, largest 4-14.5 x 1.5-6.5 cm; apex acuminate to rounded; base cuneate to attenuate, rarely truncate. Flowers in 1-3-flowered dichasia; cymes 2-15(22) cm long; peduncle to 12(16) cm long; peduncle and rachis with indumentum as stems; main axis bracts sometimes tinged purple, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 7-18 x 1-2(3) mm, sparsely puberulous to pubescent and with scattered to dense stalked capitate glands, usually conspicuously ciliate with hairs to 2 mm long; dichasia bracts and bracteoles linear-lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 7-14 mm long, puberulous and with capitate glands; bracteoles longer than calyx. Calyx 3-6(8) mm long, sericeous-puberulous at least on veins and with long pilose ciliae, without (rarely with) capitate glands; lobes lanceolate to narrowly triangular, acute to acuminate. Corolla yellow, lower lip with 3 and upper lip with 2 conspicuous reddish brown streaks (absent in C & N Mozambique, Malawi and N & E Zambia), 7-14 mm long, puberulous; tube 4-8 mm long and 3-4 mm diameter; upper lip 3-6 mm long; lower lip spreading or deflexed, 6-11 mm long. Filaments 2-5 mm long, bending out of flower after anthesis; thecae 1-1.5 mm long, oblong, 25-33% overlapping, upper hairy, lower with linear appendage c. 1 mm long. Capsule 7-11 mm long, uniformly puberulous or densely so. Seeds black, densely tuberculate, ovoid, 1.5-2 mm long.
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Perennial herb or shrublet, 0.1-1.0(-2.0) m high. Stems herbaceous, may root at nodes. Leaves nearly glabrous to densely white-pilose especially on veins and margins, lanceolate to broadly ovate, 12-120 x 4-46 mm, apex obtuse to broadly acute, base cuneate to obtuse; petiole 1-25 mm long. Inflorescence terminal, a dense aggregate of sessile cymes in axils of reduced floral leaves. Bracts and bracteoles similar to floral leaves but smaller, always pubescent, narrowly lanceolate to oblanceolate, 7-14 mm long, apex acute or obtuse. Corolla 7-11 mm long, pale to greenish yellow with bright yellow lower lip, lower lip may have a dark stripe down each lobe. Pollen 3-colporate, 42-58 µm long, areolate. Capsule 4-seeded, delicate in texture, up to 9 mm long. Seeds rough, with 1(-many) crystal(s) per cell in testa.
A herb. It grows 50-120 cm high. It can be erect or trailing. It has fine hairs. The stem is woody at the base. The leaves are opposite. The leaf stalks are 1.5 cm long. The leaves are oval and 8 cm long by 3 cm wide. The flowers are in clusters at the end of the plant. This dense spike is 20 cm long. The flowers are yellow. The fruit is a 4 seeded capsule. It is 8 mm long. It is densely hairy and splits in half. The seeds are brown to black.
Perennial, dwarf shrub or herb, 0.1-1.0 m high. Leaves nearly glabrous to densely white-pilose, especially on veins and margins when very young, lanceolate to broadly ovate. Inflorescence a terminal, dense aggregate of sessile cymes in axils of reduced floral leaves. Bracts and bracteoles similar to floral leaves but smaller. Flowering time all year. Fruit a 4-seeded capsule.
Perennial herb or shrublet, 0.1-1.0(-2.0) m high. Inflorescence sessile axillary cymes, approximated at ends of branches; cymes each reduced to single pedunculate flower; in axils of reduced bract-like leaves. Corolla 7-11 mm long. Bracts and calyx densely pubescent but hairs not long and cottony. Flowers pale to greenish yellow with bright yellow lower lip.
Yellow dark-streaked flowers 1/3-1/2 in. long in pubescent spikes 2-6 in. or more long.
Herb, erect or straggling 1-4 ft., with pubescent sulcate stems
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.4 - 1.1
Root system creeping-root rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

A tropical plant. It grows from sea level to 2,300 m altitude. In dry regions it grows as an annual. It grows in open habitats.
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Open habitats, with a wide ecological range, at elevations from sea-level to 2,300 metres.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture 7-8
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

The leaves are cooked as a vegetable. They are used in soup or stew. The leaves are burnt to produce vegetable salt.
Uses animal food environmental use food gene source invertebrate food material medicinal social use
Edible leaves shoots
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings. Seeds needs soaking.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment soaking
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Justicia flava habit picture by susan brown (cc-by-sa)
Justicia flava habit picture by susan brown (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Justicia flava leaf picture by susan brown (cc-by-sa)
Justicia flava leaf picture by susan brown (cc-by-sa)
Justicia flava leaf picture by Leigh Winowiecki (cc-by-sa)

Flower

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

Distribution

Justicia flava world distribution map, present in Angola, Burundi, Benin, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Myanmar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, eSwatini, Chad, Togo, Tanzania, United Republic of, Uganda, Yemen, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:50729-1
WFO ID wfo-0000354374
COL ID 3QWCK
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Adhatoda minor Adhatoda major Adhatoda suaveolens Justicia sulcata Justicia smithii Justicia fruticulosa Tyloglossa major Ecbolium palustre Ecbolium plicatum Gendarussa palustris Adhatoda flava Adhatoda fasciata Adhatoda plicata Adhatoda sulcata Carima sulcata Dianthera sulcata Dicliptera fasciata Ecbolium acuminatum Ecbolium flavum Ecbolium kurzianum Ecbolium majus Ecbolium sulcatum Justicia palustris Justicia trifasciata Justicia suaveolens Justicia nelsonioides Tyloglossa palustris Dianthera flava Ecbolium minus Dianthera americana var. flava Justicia flava