Justicia polystachia
Content
Description
Weak herb 0.6-1.5 m tall, with stolons. Young stem erect, subquadrate to terete, ± grooved, branches strigose pubescent, trichomes spreading or retrorse and disposed in 2 lines. Petiole to 5 mm long; blade oblong-lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, 7-13 x 1-3 cm, margin entire, long-attenuate at apex, shortly attenuate to rounded at base, upper surface drying darker green, nitid, glabrous, lower surface paler green, sparingly pubescent, reticulation more prominent; primary vein and secondary veins (6-7 pairs) pubescent, prominent on lower surface. Inflorescence axillary and terminal, opposite, paired dense, spikes, 2-8 x 1-1.5 cm, one spike much shorter than the other, subsessile or short pedunculate, exceeding upper leaf blades, flowers 1 per node, rachis glabrous; bracts imbricate, green, membranous, asymmetrically ovate, 6.5-10 x 7.5 mm, margin entire, ciliate, apically acute to obtuse, obtuse, often obliquely at base, both surfaces glabrous or nearly so; bracteoles subfalcate, asymmetrically lanceolate, 6 x 1-2 mm, dorsally sericeous, margin ciliate. Flowers sessile to subsessile; calyx 5-lobed, 5-5.5 mm long, lobes equal, linear-lanceolate, 4.5-5 x 0.5 mm, glabrous; corolla light purple with dark lines, 9-11 mm long, pubescent distally, tube 6-8 mm long, 1.5-3 mm in diam., upper lip erect, narrowly ovate, 4-5 mm long, 2-lobed, lobes 0.5-0.75 mm long, lower lip spreading, 6-7 mm long, lobes 2.5-3 mm long, all narrowly ovate and apically rounded; stamens exserted 4-5 mm beyond mouth of corolla tube, anther thecae subequal, unequally inserted, upper theca attached to connective 1 mm above basal appendaged theca; style 9-10 mm long, proximally pubescent, minutely 2-lobed. Capsule clavate, 8-9 x 2-3 x 2 mm, glabrous or minutely glandular punctate, stipe 2.5-3.5 mm long, body ovoid to subspheric to ellipsoid-obovoid, often with a slight medial constriction, 4-5 mm long; seeds 4, lenticular to subspheric, dark reddish brown, 1.5 x 1.25 x 1 mm, surface and margin covered with knoblike papillae.
Distribution
Bolivar present, French Guiana present, Southern America: Brazil North (Amazonas present, Pará present, Roraima present); Venezuela (Venezuela present), Suriname present
Venezuela (Bolívar, Amazonas), Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil (Pará, Roraima); 30 collections studied (SU: 1; FG: 19).