Justicia americana (Linnaeus) Vahl. Common name: American Water-willow. Phenology: (Apr-) Jun-Oct. Habitat: River and stream beds, in shallow water, often rooted in rocky shallows. Distribution: W. QC west to s. MI and NE, south to sw. GA, Panhandle FL, and s. TX; COA and CHH.
Origin/Endemic status: Native
Synonymy ⓘ: = Ar, C, Can, Fl6, GrPl, GW2, Il, K4, Mi, Mo2, NcTx, NE, NS, NY, Ok, Pa, RAB, Tat, Tn, Tx, Va, W, WH3, WV, Daniel (2013), Long (1970), Wasshausen (1998); = Dianthera americana L. — POWO, S, (basionym); > Justicia americana (L.) Vahl var. americana — F, G; > Justicia americana (L.) Vahl var. subcoriacea Fernald — F, G; > Justicia mortuifluminis Fernald — F
Wetland Indicator Status:
- Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: OBL
- Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: OBL
- Great Plains: OBL
- Midwest: OBL
- Northcentral & Northeast: OBL
Heliophily ⓘ: 8
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Horticultural Information
Intro | Stems | Leaves | Inforescence | Flowers | Fruits | Comments | Height | plant sale text | bloom table text | description | stems | leaves | inflorescence | flowers | fruits | comments | cultural notes | germination code | native range |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rhizomatous, colonial perennial of shallow water in river and stream beds. | Stems mostly simple, smooth, often rooting at nodes. | Leaves opposite and ascending, sessile or short petiolate, narrowly elliptic and tapering to a long wedge-like base, to 5 or more in. long, margins entire. | Flowers in dense, short spikes arising from upper leaf axils, in opposite pairs on the spike; white to pale violet-pink; bilaterally symmetric and tubular, but deeply cleft into 4-5 parts, the upper lip recurved and lower lip 3-lobed, marked with purple. | Fruit a stalked, club-shaped capsule. | 1-3 ft. | Rhizomatous, colonial perennial of shallow water in river and stream beds. | Stems mostly simple, smooth, often rooting at nodes. | Leaves opposite and ascending, sessile or short petiolate, narrowly elliptic and tapering to a long wedge-like base, to 5 or more in. long, margins entire. | Flowers in dense, short spikes arising from upper leaf axils, in opposite pairs on the spike; white to pale violet-pink; bilaterally symmetric and tubular, but deeply cleft into 4-5 parts, the upper lip recurved and lower lip 3-lobed, marked with purple. | Fruit a stalked, club-shaped capsule. | eastern North America |
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