Justicia sprucei
Content
Description
Creeping herb or subshrub, 0.45-1.4 m tall. Stem terete, puberulous, often rooting at lower nodes. Petiole 10-20 mm long, glabrate to sparingly puberulous; blade oblong, 10-15 x 3-5(-6) cm, margin entire or undulate, long-attenuate at apex and base, glabrous except puberulent primary vein and secondary veins on lower surface. Inflorescence terminal, sometimes axillary, dense clusters of spikes, forming a capitulum with 2 flowers per node; peduncle short; bracts green, lanceolate, 16 x 2 mm, margin entire, long-white ciliate; bracteoles similar to bracts, 15 x 1 mm. Flowers sessile to subsessile; calyx 5-lobed, lobes subequal, lanceolate, 10 x 1.5 mm, margin entire, long-white ciliate; corolla white, 35 mm long, tube 25 mm long, puberulous, upper lip erect, narrowly ovate, 10 x 6 mm, entire, lower lip erect to spreading, 11 mm long, lobes obovate, lateral lobes 6-7 x 6 mm, middle lobe 7 x 8 mm, all apically rounded; stamens exserted 10 mm beyond mouth of corolla tube, anther thecae subequal, unequally inserted, superposed, upper theca pubescent; style 28 mm long, glabrous, stigma subcapitate, 0.1 mm long, minutely 2-lobed or rounded. Capsule clavate, 15 x 5 x 4.5 mm, puberulent, brown, stipe 6 mm long, body ovoid to subspheric to ellipsoid-obovoid, 8 mm long; seeds 4, lenticular, 3.5 x 3 mm, when mature glabrous, smooth, dark brown and nitid.
Distribution
Amazonian Brazil present, Amazonian Peru present, French Guiana present, Guianas present, Southern America: Bolivia (Bolivia present)
Ranging from the Guianas southwards to Amazonian Peru and Bolivia and eastward to Amazonian Brazil; 15 collections studied of which 8 from French Guiana (FG: 8).