Justicia coppenamensis
Content
Description
Branching herb, 25-40 cm high. Stem suberect, decumbent and rooting at base, subquadrangular, bifariously pubescent, trichomes recurved, older stem dotted with shortly cylindrical or subglobose cystoliths. Petiole to 10 mm long, densely pubescent; blade lanceolate, 5-11 x 2.3-3.8 cm, dark green upper surface, lighter green lower surface, margin sparsely adpressed pubescent, caudate at apex, attenuate at base, both surfaces glabrescent; primary vein and secondary veins (5-9 pairs) adpressed pubescent. Inflorescence terminal, spikes in pairs superposed in axils of upper leaves, spikes 15-25 mm long, shortly pedunculate; flowers secund and solitary at the nodes; bracts oblanceolate or obovate, 7-10 x 2.8 mm, apically acuminate, contracted into a petiole at base, 2-3-veined on each side of primary vein, these pubescent; bracteoles filiform, 2.5-3 mm long, apically penicillate, otherwise glabrous. Flowers sessile; calyx 4-lobed, 5 mm long, lobes linear-lanceolate, equal, 4.5 x 0.6 mm, glabrous except apically with 1 or 2 trichomes; corolla white or light purple, 7.5 mm long, sparingly pubescent without, tube infundibuliform, 4.5 mm long, 2 mm wide at throat, hirtellous on veins within, lips 3 mm long, upper lip erect, entire and obtuse, lower lip spreading, lobes 1.7 mm long, middle lobe ovate with a veined palate, lateral lobes oblong; stamens inserted 0.4 mm below lips, filaments glandular, 2.5 mm long, anther thecae 0.7 mm long, subparallel or superposed; style 4.2 mm long, glabrous, minutely 2-lobed. Capsule 7.5 mm long, glabrous, stipe 3 mm long, body ovoid to ellipsoid-obovoid, often with a slight medial constriction; seeds ovoid, 2 x 1.6 mm, basally unequal, yellowish-brown when dry, muricate.