Justicia pectoralis N. Jacquin, Acanthaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 8 (Go to the risk assessment).

Common name(s): [more details]

English: death-angel, freshcut

Spanish: curia

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Ascending or decumbent herbs to 1.5 m tall, slender, branching, often rooting at the lowest nodes, the branches bifariously pubescent; leaves on petioles 2-12 mm long, the blades narrowly lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, mostly 5-12 cm long, narrowly long-acuminate, acute or obtuse at the base, glabrous or nearly so; inflorescences terminal and axillary, the lax panicles composed of a few opposite or alternate spikes 3-12 cm long, the flowers distant; bracts and bracteoles subulate, 0.5-1 mm long; calyx lobes 5, narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, 2-2.5 mm long, glandular-pubescent; corolla pale purple or white with purple, 7-9 mm long, the lips almost as long as the tube; stamens included, thecae muticous at base, 0.5-1 mm long, divergent, one smaller; pollen 2-porate, rectangular, with apparently one row of few, rather large insulae on either side of each aperture; capsule slender-clavate, 5-6 mm long, puberulent"  (Standley et al., 1974; pp. 396-397).

Habitat/ecology:  In Guatemala (native), "Damp or wet thickets, often along streams, sea level to 1,100 m"  (Standley et al., 1974; pp. 396-397).

Propagation:  Seed, rooting from nodes (Standley et al., 1974; pp. 396-397).

Native range:  Mexico to South America, Caribbean islands (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
El Salvador El Salvador	El Salvador (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	Standley, Paul C./Williams, Louis O./Gibson, Dorothy Nash (1974) (pp. 396-397)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011) Chiapas, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosi, Tabasco, Veracruz, Yucatan
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Justicia pectoralis is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Justicia pectoralis as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Justicia pectoralis may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Standley, Paul C./Williams, Louis O./Gibson, Dorothy Nash. 1974. Flora of Guatemala. Fieldiana: Botany. Vol. 24, Part X, Nos. 3-4. Chicago Natural History Museum. pp. 153-466.

U. S. Government. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.