Justicia carnea Lindley, Acanthaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 12 (Go to the risk assessment).

Other Latin names:  Jacobinia carnea (Lindl.) G. Nicholson; Jacobinia magnifica (Nees) Voss; Jacobinia velutina (Nees) Voss; Justicia magnifica Pohl ex Nees, nom. inval.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Brazilian plume, flamingo flower, jacobinia, king's-crown, pink jacobinia, pink plume-flower, plumeflower

Spanish: cola de pavo real, vara de la justicia

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Shrub 1-2 m tall, stems squarish and tending to be grooved, thinly to moderately tomentose, young growth tomentose; leaves large, to 30 x 10 cm or even longer, ovate, strongly but gradually acuminate, base obtuse, then abruptly decurrent for some distance on petiole, under surface thinly puberulent, especially on nerves, much less so on upper surface, petioles 3-10 cm long, usually wide-spreading; spikes terminal, very showy, up to 12 (-15) cm long, to 9 cm wide, in very luxuriant specimens tending to be inconspicuously paniculate, bracts overlapping foliaceous, to 3 x 1.5 cm, smaller upward, lower ones tending to be acuminate, upper rounded at apex, tomentulose on nerves, bracteoles linear, ciliate, 1-2 cm long; calyx divided almost to base, lobes 5, linear-lanceolate, somewhat unequal, up to 9 mm long, ciliate towards the acute apex; corolla pink to rose-purple, about 6 cm long, straight or slender, slightly ampliate upward, upper lip erect, curved over the anthers at tip, apex only minutely notched or not at all, lower lip reflexed to almost a right-angle, clawed, claw about 6-7 mm, limb expanded, oblong-obovate and deeply trilobed and recurved, the whole corolla thinly glandular-pilose; stamens not quite equaling corolla, filaments strongly curved at summit, anthers broadly oblong, somewhat curved, about 2-5 mm long, dark purple, cells slightly offset, style tip slightly exerted from upper lobe, stigma only very slightly enlarged; capsule not seen" (Fosberg et al., 1993; pp. 33-34).

Habitat/ecology:  "Moist, well-drained soils in sunny or partially shaded places are preferred" (Whistler, 2000; p. 292).

Propagation:  Cuttings, which root readily (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 87).

Native range:  Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay; cultivated and naturalized in the tropics (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced cultivated	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (pp. 487, 533, 554) As Justicia magnifica Pohl. "Este arbusto decorativo se encuentra solamente en algunos jardines del pueblo de San Juan Bautista donde se desarrolla bien sin mostrar por lo tanto una tendencia a multiplicarse".
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 89) "Potential invader", lowlands. Adventive per Bill Sykes.
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island		Sykes, Bill (year unknown)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Meyer, Jean-Yves/Lavergne, Christophe (2004) (p. 337)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1930) (voucher ID: BISH 127617) Taxon name on voucher: Justicia carnea Lindley
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008) Observed in survey, herbarium record pending.
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Fiji Islands		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1927) (voucher ID: BISH 17341) Taxon name on voucher: Justicia carnea Lindley
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) As Jacobinia carnea (J. Lindley) G. Nicholson Naturalisée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1955) (voucher ID: BISH 127616) Taxon name on voucher: Justicia carnea Lindley
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Rapa Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) As Jacobinia carnea (J. Lindley) G. Nicholson Naturalisée
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Tubuai Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) As Jacobinia carnea (J. Lindley) G. Nicholson. Voucher cited: J. Florence & W.R. Sykes 11126 (PAP) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Tubuai Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1992) (voucher ID: BISH 643729) Taxon name on voucher: Justicia carnea Lindley
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 141)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Parker, James L./Parsons, Bobby (2012) (p. 65) Voucher cited: J. Parker & R. Parsons BIED143 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Oppenheimer, Hank L. (2004) (p. 9) East Maui. Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H110210 (BISH, PTBG)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (pp. 8-9) Vouchers cited: Baudouin 311, de Pompéry s.n., MacKee 21968

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	Hong Kong	introduced cultivated	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 253) Ornamental.
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 52) Cultivated only

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Meyer, Jean-Yves/Lavergne, Christophe (2004) (pp. 345, 348)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Justicia carnea, please let us know.