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Justicia ovata var. ovata
Looseflower Waterwillow
Florida native
A frequent wildflower of floodplain forests, marshes and cypress swamps in the northern half of the state. The range includes the southeastern coastal states from Alabama into Virginia.
The flowers are white to whitish-purple and two-lipped in loose spikes. The lower lip is deeply notched into three lobes, with purple spots from the center lobe down the throat. The upper lip is shallowly notched into two lobes. The corolla is 8-13mm (~1/3 - 1/2 in.) long. The leaves are opposite, sessile and ovate.
Justicia ovata is a member of the Acanthaceae - Acanthus family.
Other species of the Justicia genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Justicia angusta - PINELAND WATERWILLOW
Justicia cooleyi - COOLEY'S WATERWILLOW
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Jul 09, 2018
