ACANTHACEAE

Justicia flava

Yellow Justicia

Wildflowers

Local Context

Abundant and widespread on the estate. It occurs in riverine forest, scrub, woodland, grassland, and rocky outcrops, often thriving in disturbed areas like roadsides and shade of trees.

Identification

Growth: Perennial herb or scrambler up to 1 m tall (or up to 2 m when climbing).
Flowers: Yellow, usually with reddish-brown streaks on the lips, shaped like a short tube splitting into an upper and lower lip.
Leaves: Narrowly to broadly egg-shaped or elliptic up to 14.5 cm long.
Texture: Leaves and flower spikes are often covered in fine silky or white hairs, sometimes with sticky glands.
Fruit: Small hairy capsule up to 1.1 cm long containing black, bumpy seeds.

Did You Know?

As abundant and "weedy" as this plant seems, it is a very important pollinator attracting a huge variety of species. At the Bees of Uganda project, 20 different bee species were recorded visiting Justicia flava.

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