Characteristics of Justica

Justicia carnea

Justica brandegeana

Justica americana

Common name

Brazilian Plume Flower

Zone

USDA 10 - 11

Bloom time

summer-fall

Light

part sun

Maximum Height

6' (1.8 m)

Maximum Spread

-

Habit

upright

Water

every other day

Feed

use all-purpose

Maintenance

pinch back for fuller appearance, deadhead older flowers to encourage blooming

Habitat

hummingbirds and butterflies

Common name

Shrimp Plant

Zone

USDA 8-11

Bloom time

all the time

Light

partly sunny

Maximum Height

3.28'(1m)

Maximum Spread

2.95' (0.9m)

Habit

branching, dense

Water

every other day, do not over water

Feed

use all purpose, well drained

Maintainance

pinch for fuller thick leaves, but other than that do not prune and cut.

Habitat

might invite pests: Glasshouse red spidermite and Glasshouse whitefly

Common name

Water willow

Zone

USDA 4-9

Bloom time

mid-summer

Light

full to partial shade

Maximum Height

1.5' (0.46m)

Maximum Spread

makes colonies and spreads

Habit

underground stem

Water

needs to grow in shallow water

Feed

general soil

Maintainance

water level should be maintained and underground stem has fiberous roots both need to be carefully cut if needed

Habitat

Texan Crescentspot butterfly cocoon, and butterflies

 

 

Justica are clustered flower variants with sometimes the sepals also acting in colorful manner housing the flowers, like in the shrimp plant. The flowers are usually white with upper and lower lips and purple in the middle. The flowers get colorful with different variants too like in brazillian plume. If we look closely though the similarities between the shrimp plant flower and water willow are evident.

Classification of Shrimp Plant

Kingdom  Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom  Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision  Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division  Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class  Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass  Asteridae
Order  Scrophulariales
Family  Acanthaceae – Acanthus family
Genus  Justicia L. – water-willow P
Species  Justicia brandegeeana Wassh. & L.B. Sm. – shrimpplant P