Description:

• Herbs or undershrubs
• Leaves petiolate or sessile
• Inflorescence terminal or axillary, thyrsoid, spicate, scorpioid cymes, dichasial cymes or raceme-like compound cymes; bracts and bracteoles variable
• Calyx regular, with simple or stalked, glandular and/or eglandular hairs; tube shorter than lobes, with 4 or 5 lobes
• Corolla 2-lipped, hairy or glandular; upper lip shortly 2-lobed or entire, rugula distinct; lower lip 3-lobed, with lobes ovate or oblong and usually pinnately ribbed on palate; aestivation ascending; tube shorter than lobes, subcampanulate or broadly cylindric
• Androecium: fertile stamens 2, arising deep in corolla throat, slightly exserted; filaments linear, often hairy at base; anthers 2-thecous; thecae superposed, usually tailed, sometimes muticous; staminodes 0
• Pollen prolate, 2- or 3-colporate, with pseudocolpi; surface reticulate
• Disc deeply cupular; sometimes with V-shaped slit, with 2 awns (occasionally absent)
• Gynoecium: ovary ellipsoid or ovoid, with 2 ovules in each locule; style terete, running in rugula, subexserted; style branches 2, equal, very short, broader than long
• Capsule ellipsoid or club-shaped, stipitate, with inelastic placental bases, occasionally hard, indehiscent capsule with single seed
• Seeds usually orbicular; surface rough and convolute or rugose or rough and tuberculate or with long, barbed hairs
• x = 7, 9 (8, 10, 11, 12, 13) (polyploidy, B-chromosomes)

Nomenclature:

• Justicia L.
  • Linnaeus: 15 (1753)
  • Immelman: 18 (1995)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Species ± 420, cosmopolitan in warm areas
• Southern Africa: Species 23, widespread, but not in Lesotho