Justicia protracta T.Anderson

Annual, perennial or shrubby herb with one to several unbranched to much-branched stems, sometimes from a woody rootstock; stems erect to scrambling, to 1 m long, when young puberulous or sparsely so (sometimes only near nodes) with hairs 0.2-0.5 mm long, rarely with longer pilose hairs to 1 mm long, usually with scattered to dense stalked capitate glands. Leaves sparsely puberulous or sparsely pubescent, densest on midrib and margins, usually with capitate glands towards base and on petiole, same colour on both sides; petiole to 2(4) cm long; lamina narrowly ovate to ovate, rarely lanceolate or elliptic, largest 1-9(13) x 0.3-3.5(4.5) cm, more than twice as long as wide; apex subacuminate to obtuse; base attenuate to rounded. Flowers single or 2-4 in axils of upper leaves; bracts elliptic or broadly so, to 1 cm long, minutely puberulous, usually with long (to 2 mm) pilose hairs and with stalked capitate glands; bracteoles to 1 (2.5) mm long. Calyx sparsely puberulous to puberulous, rarely subglabrous with hairs 0.1-0.5 mm long, sometimes with stalked capitate glands; lobes 1.5-3.5 mm long. Corolla white to pale mauve, lower lip with (rarely without) distinct 'herring-bone' pattern, upper lip without darker veins, (4.5)6-9(11) mm long; tube 2.5-5.5 mm long, widening immediately above base, 0.5-2 mm longer than upper lip; upper lip 2-3.5(5.5) mm long, teeth 0.5-1 mm long; lower lip 3-6(9) x 3-6.5(9) mm Filaments 1-3 mm long; thecae yellow (rarely with purple sides), 0.5-1 mm long, lower with acute appendage c. 0.3 mm long. Capsule (4.5)5.5-7.5 mm long, uniformly puberulous (hairs more than 0.1 mm long) all over, more rarely subglabrous or glabrous; indehiscent fruits sometimes present, 3-4 mm long, with 4 entire to dissected wings. Seeds 1-1.5 mm long.