Justicia
Justicia ladanoides

Family: Acanthaceae

What it is like

A herb. It grows for one or two years. It grows 2 m tall. It can be hairy. The base is often swollen and has aerial roots. The leaves are opposite and each pair is at right angles to the next. The leaf stalk is up to 6 cm long. The leaves are narrowly oval and 1-11 cm long by 1-5 cm wide. The flowers have both sexes. They are usually bright red. The fruit is an oval capsule. It is 10 mm long by 3 mm wide. It splits open with force. There are 4 seeds.

It is similar to Justicia whytei.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows well in places with temperatures between 20°-35°C. It is in areas with a rainfall of 1,000-2,000 mm per year. It can tolerate shade. It grows in savannah woodland.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, West Africa

How it is used for food

The leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. They are used in soups and stews.

They are an appreciated leafy vegetable.

Edible parts

Leaves, vegetable

How it is grown

Plants can be grown by seeds or cuttings. Stem cuttings about 15 cm long are used. Plants need to be 30-40 cm apart. Because fruit split open the seeds get scattered so seed collection is difficult.

It grows slowly. Plants can be harvested by pulling them out after 3-5 weeks of cut off the tips when plants are 20-25 cm high. Harvesting can be carried out at 10 day intervals.

Its other names

Local names

Aelangiya, D'ia, Kakim, Qira, Qirqira, Tettu

Synonyms

Adhatoda kotschyi (Hochst.) Nees; Adhatoda lithospermifolia (Jacq.) Nees; Adhatoda rostellaria Nees; Gendarussa lithospermifolia (Jacq.) C. Presl.; Justicia calcarata Hochst.; Justicia galeopsis T. Anderson ex C. B. Clarke; Justicia lithospermifolia Jacq.; Justicia neglecta T. Anderson; Justicia schimperi (Hochst.) Dandy; Justicia unsularis auct. non T. Anders.;