Justicia brandegeeana

Justicia brandegeeana Wassh. & L. B. Smith, Fl. Illustr. Catarin. (Acanthaceae). 102. 1969; Malik & Ghafoor, Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 41; Beloperone guttata Brandegee, Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot. 4: 278. 1912.

Small shrublet, up to 1.5 m, stem weak, much branched from the base; young twigs usually quadrangular or terete with dense patent hairs; nodes swollen. Leaves opposite, simple, light green; petioles 1-3 cm long, slender; leaf blade ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 2.5-9 cm x 2-5 cm, margin entire, basally attenuate, apex acute, lateral veins 5-7 on each side of midvein; petiole and both surfaces densely pubescent with strigose and patent hairs, hairs of unequal size. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, hypogynous, sessile, white or pale-liliac, 2-3.5 cm long in terminal or axillary, bright-red, reddish-brown, lime-green or yellow strobilate spikes (colour because of the colour of bracts and bracteoles), spikes up to 10 cm long; bracts broadly ovate, 10-20 mm x 7-15 mm, obtuse or +/- acute, closely imbricate; bracteoles ovate-lanceolate to ovate, ca. 10-15 mm x 5-10 mm; bracts, bracteoles, inflorescence axis densely pubescent with soft long and short hairs. Calyx tube short; lobes 5, narrowly lanceolate, 5-7 mm long, pubescent. Corolla white or pale-liliac; tube 1.5-2.5 cm long, soft hairy outside; limb 2-lipped: upper lip ca. 15 mm x 6 mm, entire, emarginate or 2-lobed, purple blotched; lower lip up to 18-20 mm x 8-10 mm, purple spotted within, 3-lobed, lobes shallow. Stamens 2, attached inside upper corolla lip; filaments ca. 15 mm long, hairy (in lower region); anthers oblong, ca. 2 mm long; anthers bithecous, thecae separated by broad flat connective, both thecae spurred basally. Carpels 2, syncarpous; ovary glabrous, 2-locular, 2 ovules per loculus, placentation axile; style filiform, hairy, ca. 3 cm long; stigma minute.

Capsule oblong, 10-12 mm long, puberulent, 4-seeded. Seeds +/- ovate, ca. 3mm long, smooth. (Fruits not observed)

Flowering and Fruiting: : Almost throughout the year, especially in winter
Common Names: : Shrimp plant, False Hop, Shrimp Bush, Mexican Shrimp plant, Chuparosa