JUSTICIA

Justicia L., Sp. Pl. 15. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5: 10.1754; Clarke in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 4: 540. 1885; Durkee in Woodson & Scherry, Fl. Panama in Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 65: 209.1978; Hu & Daniel, Fl. China 19: 449. 2011; Malik & Ghafoor, Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 29.

Herbs or shrubs, erect, rarely procumbent or ascending. Leaves opposite, sessile to long petiolate, lamina ovate to elliptic, entire, rarely crenate or crenulate, often with cystoliths. Flowers white, pink or purple in terminal or axillary congested spikes or panicles, sometimes solitary or in thyrsoid cymes. Bracts variable in shape, sometimes prominent and/or brightly coloured; bracteoles 2, similar to or smaller than bracts. Calyx deeply 4-5-lobed, lobes usually narrow, equal or +/- unequal, narrowly scarious. Corolla tubular or funnelform; limb strongly 2-lipped; lower lip 3-lobed, broad, +/- patent or recurved; upper lip entire to 2-lobed, internally rugulate (i.e. with a stylar furrow), narrow +/- galeate (helmet-shaped or hooded), lobes ascending chochlear in bud. Stamens 2; anthers bithecous, thecae usually unequal, oblong or linear, occasionally curved or reniform, parallel to perpendicular, one or both spurred at base or sometimes lacking basal appendage; staminodes absent. Carpels 2, syncarpous; ovary hairy with 2 ovules per loculus, placentation axile; stigma unequally 2-lobed. Capsule clavate with a sterile basal stalk, 2-4 seeded. Seeds on curved retinacula (hooked funiculus), compressed, orbicular-lenticular.

939 species

Justicia adhatoda

Justicia adhatoda L., Sp. Pl. 15. 1753; Roxb., Fl. Ind. 1: 127. 1820; Durkee in Woodson et. al., Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 65: 212. 1978; Hara in Hara et. al., Enum. Fl. Pl. Nepal 3:141. 1982; Malik & Ghafoor, Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 39; Adhatoda vasica Nees, in Wallich, Pl. Asiat. Rar. 3: 103.1832; Clarke in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 4: 540. 1885; Maheshwari, Fl. Delhi Illustr. f. 169. 1966; Parker, For. Fl. Punj. ed. 1: 391. 1918 (Reprint 1973); A. zeylanica Medik., Hist. & Commentators. Acad. Elect. Sci. Thoed.-Palate, 6: 393.1790; Chowdhery & Wadhwa, Fl. Himach. Pradesh 2: 546. 1984; Kaur & Sharma, Fl. Sirmaur 482. 2004; Gendarussa adhatoda Steud., Nomencl. Bot. ed. 2,1: 668. 1840.

Erect, much branched, gregarious, evergreen shrub, up to 2 m, foetid when bruised. Stem quadrangular, young shoots greyish-pubescent. Leaves opposite, simple; petiole 0.5-2.0 cm long; leaf blade elliptic, ovate-lanceolate or oblong, up to 17 cm x 6.5 cm, glabrous above, pubescent beneath, especially on nerves, basally attenuate, margin entire or undulate, apex acuminate, lateral nerves 8-12. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, 2-lipped, hypogynous, white, ca. 3.0 cm long, nearly sessile in terminal and axillary pedunculate spikes, up to 10 cm long, ca. 3.0 cm broad; peduncles up to 10 cm long, stout; bracts leafy, broadly elliptic or obovate-elliptic, 1.5-2.5 cm x 1-1.5 cm, green, subacute, pubescent; bracteoles elliptic-oblong to lanceolate, 1-1.2 cm x 0.3-0.5 cm, acute, minutely pubescent. Calyx 7-10 mm long, parted near to base; lobes 5, oblong-lanceolate, equal, acute or acuminate, 3-nerved, glabrous or pubescent outside, imbricate. Corolla pale-white, ca. 2.5 cm long; tube 1.2-1.5 cm long, lower half cylindric, upper half much laterally inflated, pubescent outside, throat villous; limb 2-lipped, upper lip erect, shortly bifid, galeate (hood-like); lower lip deeply 3-lobed, with 2 lines of oblique purple bars within, lobes obtuse, pubescent outside. Stamens 2, inserted near the top of corolla tube; filaments 1-1.7 cm long, stout, curved, pubescent at base; anthers ca. 3 mm long, bithecous, one theca higher than the other, the lower theca basally minutely spurred. Disc cupulate. Carpels 2, syncarpous; ovary oblong, ca. 3 mm long, pubescent, 2-locular, 2 ovules per loculus, placentation axile; style ca. 2.2 cm long, filiform, clavate above; upper part of ovary and lower part of style pubescent; stigma simple. Capsule stipitate, broadly clavate, 2-2.5 cm long, 4-seeded, pubescent upwards and glabrous below; stipe stout, ca. 1.2 cm long, flattened; retinacula hard, curved. Seeds orbicular, 5-6 mm x 3-4 mm, glabrous.

Flowering and Fruiting: November to April
Common Names: Malabar Nut, Adhatoda, Vasaka, White Vasa, Yellow Vasa; Arus, Arusa, Pramadya, Rus, Sinh-parni, Vajini, Visauta (Hindi)