Justicia L. FROM
Creators: name: Raja, Prakasam
name: Arulanandam, Lourdusamy John Peter
name: Soosairaj, Sebastian
name: Kabeer, Kadher Althaf Ahammed
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Lamiales
Acanthaceae
Justicia

description: KEY TO THE GENUS JUSTicia L. FROM TAMIL NADU, INDIA
1. Calyx lobes 5 ............................................................................................................................................... 2
— Calyx lobes 4 ............................................................................................................................................. 14
2. Shrubs or undershrubs ................................................................................................................................ 3
— Erect or diffuse herbs ................................................................................................................................. 12
3. Anther cells minutely apiculate at base ........................................................................................................ 4
— Anther cells with prominent white appendage at base ................................................................................. 5
4. Inflorescence capitate .................................................................................. J. beddomei (C.B.Clarke) Bennet
— Inflorescence spikes .................................................................................................................. J. adhatoda L.
5. Capsule 2-2.5 cm long ................................................................................................................................ 6
— Capsule less than 2 cm long ........................................................................................................................ 7
6. Erect shrubs. Leaves 6-9 cm broad ................................................................................... J. santapaui Bennet
— Procumbent undershrub. Leaves 0.5-1.5 cm broad .......................... J. nilgherrensis (Nees) Wight ex C.B. Clarke
7. Leaves less than 3 cm long ........................................................................................................................... 8
— Leaves more than 5 cm long ........................................................................................................................ 9
8. Bracts elliptic, acute .................................................................................................. J. salsoloides T.Anderson
— Bracts orbicular or obcordate, short-apiculate ............................................................... J. tranquebariensis L.f.
9. Capsule pubescent ..................................................................................................................................... 10
— Capsule glabrous ........................................................................................................... J. gendarussa Burm.f.
10. Seeds spinulose or echinate when wetted ................................................................................................... 11
— Seeds softly round-tuberculate when wetted .............................................................. J. wynaadensis B.Heyne
11. Bracts white with green nerves; bracteoles similar ....................................................................... J. betonica L.
— Bracts not as above; bracteoles different, often absent ............................................................ J. glauca Rottler
12. Leaves more than 5 cm broad ................................................................................................. J. scandens Vahl
— Leaves less than 1 cm broad ....................................................................................................................... 13
13. Bracts white with green nerves. Seeds tuberculate when wetted ............................................. J. trinervia Vahl
— Bracts not as above. Seeds echinate when wetted .......................... J. tamilnadensis P.Raja & Soosairaj, sp.nov.
14. Spikes stout, cylindric ............................................................................................................................... 15
— Spikes slender, linear ................................................................................................................................. 18
15. Subshrubs or undershrubs; branchlets somewhat woody ........................................................................... 16
— Herbaceous; branchlets slender .................................................................................................................. 17
16. Bracts with bulbous based white hairs. Capsule pubescent .......................................... J. neesii Ramamoorthy
— Bracts not as above. Capsule glabrous ........................................................... J. latispica (C.B.Clarke) Gamble
17. Spikes up to 3 cm long ......................................................................................................... J. procumbens L.
— Spikes more than 5 cm long ................................................................................................ J. simplex D.Don
18. Calyx lobes obtuse at apex ................................................................... J. quinqueangularis J.Koenig ex Roxb.
— Calyx lobes acute at apex ........................................................................................................................... 19
19. Bracts and bracteoles ovate .................................................................................................... J. diffusa Willd.
— Bracts and bracteoles lanceolate ................................................................................................................. 20
20. Seeds tuberculate .......................................................................... J. prostrata (Roxb. ex C.B.Clarke) Gamble
— Seeds papillae ............................................................................................................................................ 21
21. Leaves ovate-elliptic or linear-lanceolate, acute, glabrous ........................................................... J. vahlii Roth
— Leaves ovate or orbicular, obtuse, strigose above, villous beneath ......................... J. nepalensis V.A.W.Graham
description: Published as part of Raja, Prakasam, Arulanandam, Lourdusamy John Peter, Soosairaj, Sebastian & Kabeer, Kadher Althaf Ahammed, 2023, A new species of Justicia L. (Acanthaceae) from Tamil Nadu, India, pp. 285-291 in Adansonia (3) (3) 45 (17) on page 290, DOI: 10.5252/adansonia2023v45a17, http://zenodo.org/record/8135393