Justicia betonica L. APNI* Description: Sprawling herb to 2 m high, forming dense ground cover; stems rooting where they contact the ground, with dense bands of hairs at nodes, glabrous elsewhere.
Leaves at each node usually equal, elliptic to obovate, up to 14 cm long and 11 cm wide, margins slightly wavy, upper surface dark green, linear cystoliths absent, lower surface paler; petiole up to 15 mm long.
Inflorescence terminal, often on short lateral shoots, up to 13 cm long; each flower subtended by a bract and two bracteoles, each membranaceous, white, with green veins; bracts ovate c. 1.5–2 cm long, c. 1 cm wide; bracteoles similar to bracts but slightly smaller. Calyx 4–5 mm long. Corolla pink; tube c. 7 mm long; lobes c. 7 mm long. Stamens 2, filaments hairy toward base.
Capsule up to c. 14 mm long.
Flowering: Flowers and fruits recorded in March.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in distubed sites. Naturalised in Tweed Heads.
NSW subdivisions: *NC
Other Australian states: *Qld
Text by D.M. Crayn
Taxon concept:
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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