FloraFinder.org
Home   About Us   FAQ  
Searching   Image Use Plant Books
x
FloraFinder uses cookies only for correct operation. More info. Okay

Justicia brandegeeana Wassh. & L.B. Sm.

Red shrimp

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassMagnoliopsidaDicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
SubclassAsteridaeA large class that encompasses asters
OrderLamialesAromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary
FamilyAcanthaceaeAcanthus family, of tropical herbs and shrubs
GenusJusticiaNamed for James Justice, a Scottish horticulturist
Speciesbrandegeeana

About plant names...

Shrimp plant is native to Mexico. It has become naturalized on the Florida penninsula. Many cultivars are available.

Identification: Shrimp plants are 3-5′ (1-1.5 m) tall and up to 3′ (1 m) wide. Leaves are oval, 1-3″ (3-7.5 cm) long. Stems and leaves are downy. Branches are topped by red "flowers" that are really bracts—modified leaves. These have a shape and texture suggestive of shrimp, hence the common name. They are about 6″ (15 cm) long and initially white, becoming rusty red, pinkish red, pale pink, deep salmon, orange(-ish), pink-bronze, or brownish red—accounts obviously vary. (Cultivars appear in other colors as well.) The bracts grow in segments like sections of shrimp shells, sometimes reaching as much as a foot in length. The real flowers are white, tubular, with throats containing deep red speckles. They are fairly inconspicuous.

Online References:

Wikipedia

Www.rubythroat.org

Floridata.com

The Missouri Botanical Garden

Desert-tropicals.com

Beloperone guttata Brandegee

 

Justicia brandegeeana description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 26 Aug 2020.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.


 

Justicia brandegeeana (red shrimp)

4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Mary­land · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)

Justicia brandegeeana (red shrimp)

4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Mary­land · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm)

Range:

About this map...