Welcome to Justicia of Thailand

Flora of Thailand

Justicia L. is one of the largest and most complex genera of the Acanthus family, containing up to 600 species worldwide (Mabberley, 2008; Graham, 1988). It is distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions, extending into warm temperate zone in Europe and Asia and North America (Heywood et al., 2007). The large majority of species occur in tropical East Africa followed by South Africa and Asia. Justicia can be easily distinguished from other genera of Acanthaceae by simple spikes, with each flower is subtended by a bract and two bracteoles. The flowers are usually with a 4–5-partite calyx, of which the two lower lobes are reduced and the three upper lobes distinctly subequal. The corolla is 2-lipped, the lower lip has 3 lobes and the upper one has two shallow lobes with purple markings which are presented. There are 2 laterally inserted stamens below the apex of the corolla tube. The anthers are bithecous and the thecae are superposed. The ovary has two locules. The fruit is a 2-valved loculicidal capsule and usually has four seeds.