Justicia mcdowellii
Content
Description
Herb to 1.2 m tall. Stem ascending, quadrangular, pilose, trichomes sordid to yellowish. Petiole short or lacking, if present, then 5 mm long, sparingly pilose; blade thin and membranous, elliptic to oblong to narrowly ovate, 15-25 x 6-11 cm, entire or slightly undulate, short-acuminate at apex, attenuate at base, upper surface dark green when dry, lower surface a lighter yellow-green when dry, both surfaces sericeous, espeically on venation; primary and secondary veins (6-7 pairs) rather obscure above, more prominent on lower surface. Inflorescence terminal, long-pedunculate spikes, these usually paired, 8-15 cm long; peduncle subquadrangular, 7-16 cm long, pilose and puberulous; rachis subquadrangular, pilose and puberulous; bracts greenheteromorphic, larger bract obovate to suborbicular, 8-9 x 7-8 mm, rounded and apiculate at apex, abruptly narrowed and cuneate at base, thin, primary and secondary veins prominent, both surfaces gland-dotted, pubescent along primary vein, margin ciliate, sterile bract greatly reduced, linear, 6-7 x 0.4-0.6 mm; bracteoles linear, 6 x 0.5 mm, long-aristate at apex, puberulous, margin ciliolate. Flowers sessile to subsessile; calyx 5-lobed, 5.5-6 mm long, lobes equal, linear-lanceolate, 5-5.5 x 0.5 mm, aristate at apex, glabrous, margin ciliolate; corolla white, 22-22.5 mm long, puberulous and gland-dotted, tube narrowly cylindrical, 19-19.5 mm long, 2 mm in diam. at base, enlarged to 3 mm at 2.5 mm above base, then slightly constricted, 2.5 mm wide at mouth, limb short, upper lip erect, narrowly ovate, 5 x 1.75-2 mm, 2-lobed, lobes 0.5 x 0.5 mm, lower lips spreading, 4 mm long, lobes 2 mm long, all narrowly ovate and apically rounded; stamens exserted 4 mm beyond mouth of corolla tube, anther thecae superposed, subequal, vertically attached to connective, lower theca inconspcisouly apiculate, filament flattened; pistil ± equaling stamens, style glabrous, stigma 2-lobed, minute, rounded. Capsule clavate, 15 x 4 x 3 mm, puberulous; seeds dark reddish brown, lenticular to subspheric, 3 x 2 1 mm, surface and margin covered with knoblike papillae.