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Justicia cooleyi
Cooley's Waterwillow
Cooley's Justicia
Synonym(s): Justicia pringlei
Florida native
Endemic to Florida
Endangered Florida species
U.S. Endangered species
A rare plant of calcareous hammocks primarily along the Brooksville Ridge of Hernando and Sumter Counties. Also found in Levy, Lake and Jackson Counties.
A perennial herb with erect and branching hairy stems, somewhat squarish, growing to 50cm (20 in.) tall. Flowers may be terminal or axillary, about 1cm (< 1/2 in.) long and are purplish, two-lipped with the lower lip three-lobed and having white streaks in the center. The leaves are opposite, with each succeeding pair positioned 90 degrees from the previous pair (decussate). The leaves are lanceolate to ovate, up to 7cm (2-3/4 in.) long, pubescent with hairy entire margins.
Recent studies have revealed that four geographically distinct species of Justicia are similar enough that they should all be considered J. pringlei. These include J. cooleyi of Florida, J. pringlei of Mexico and Guatemala, J. galapagana of the Galápagos and J. saltensis in South America.
Cooley's Waterwillow is named in honor of George R. Cooley (1896-1986) who lived in the Albany, New York area. After a career in banking and finance he took an interest in botany and conservation and was active in a number of environmental organizations including serving on the board of The Nature Conservancy where he was instrumental in the creation of a number of preserves in Florida and New York, including Tiger Creek Preserve in Polk County.
Justicia cooleyi 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 ovata var. ovata - LOOSEFLOWER WATERWILLOW
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Jan 23, 2023
