Justicia americana L. - Water Willow


 

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Justicia americana - (image 1 of 4)

 

Taxonomy

Family: Acanthaceae

Habitat

Muddy shores, mudflats, shallow water.

Associates

 

Distribution

Quebec to MI, WI, south to GA, KS, and TX.

Morphology

Colonial, rhizomatous perennial to 1 m. Leaves opposite, linear to lanceolate, entire, glabrous. Flowers opposite, in head-like, axillary spikes on long peduncles; calyx lobes narrow; corolla pale violet to white, two-lipped; upper lip concave; lower lip spreading or deflexed, the lobes about equal to or longer than the tube. Seeds two per locule, rough, 3 mm wide.

Notes

Flowers June to August

Wetland indicator: Obligate

Can form sizable vegetative colonies.

References

Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY

 

Swink, F. and G. Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago Region.
Indiana Academy of Science. The Morton Arboretum. Lisle, Illinois.


 


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 Michael Hough © 2009