Justicia heterocarpa T.Anderson

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Annual herb with erect to ascending stems up to 15–35 cm or more long; stems fairly densely pubescent with up to 0.3 mm long spreading or irregular hairs

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades lanceolate to ovate, up to 24 x 10 mm, with a sparse to fairly dense indumentum of up to 0.4 mm long antrorse hairs, apex acute, base shortly attenuate; petiole up to 8 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Flowers in 3–5(–7)-flowered contracted bracteate or ebracteate clusters in opposite leaf-axils; bracts ovate, leaf-like with a shortly attenuate base, up to c. 6 x 2.5 mm, enlarged in fruit, indumentum fairly dense to very dense of up to 0.8 mm long erect eglandular hairs and c. 0.15 mm long glandular hairs; bracteoles narrowly triangular, up to 1 x 0.2 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx-lobes 5, subequal, narrowly lanceolate with hyaline margins, up to 3 x 0.5 mm in flower, up to 5.1 x 0.5 mm in fruit, with numerous up to 0.3 mm long erect hairs and c. 0.15 mm long glandular hairs

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla pale purplish with purple markings, 4–4.2 mm long; tube 2.2–2.5 mm long; upper lip 2–2.2 mm long; lower lip 2.4–2.7 mm long and 2.8–3 mm wide

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers

Anthers yellow, c. 0.7 mm long, cells displaced by 0.25 mm, tail of lower cell c. 0.15 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsules of two kinds: normal dehiscent ones sterile in lower 1/4, 4-seeded, up to 3.8 x 1.5 mm, glabrous or with few hairs in the upper part; indehiscent ones 1-seeded, with 6 finely dentate ridges, teeth with retrorse hairs

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds tuberculate, up to 0.9–1.1 x 0.7–0.8 mm, the ones from 1-seeded capsules larger and smoother.

Distribution

N1; S1; widespread in eastern tropical Africa from southern Egypt to northern Tanzania, also in tropical Arabia, Pakistan and India, other subspecies further south in Africa and in parts of Ethiopia.

Ecology

Altitude range 250–1000 m.

Note

The Somali plant is subsp. heterocarpa. Four other subspecies were recognized by Hedrén in Nord. J. Bot. 10: 374–380 (1990).