Justicia ovata (Walter) Forsyth f. var. ovata

Loose Flower Water Willow; Coastal Plain Water Willow

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Coastal Plain Water Willow is a native herbaceous perennial in the Acanthus family (Acanthaceae). It can be found throughout Alabama. Coastal Plain Water Willow occurs in swamps, in hardwood floodplain forests, around the margins of ox bow lakes and sloughs, on sand bars, and in roadside ditches. It is a perennial from a rhizome, sometimes forming extensive clones. The stems are erect, 4-angled, green in color, and glabrous. Leaves are opposite, sessile or with short petioles, lanceolate to elliptic or ovate in outline, glabrous or with a few scattered hairs, with entire or crenate margins. The flowers are produced solitary or in pairs in axillary and terminal spikes. The calyx has 5 linear green lobes. The corolla is 2-lipped and white to purple in color. The lower lip of the corolla is marked with dark purple. The fruit is a capsule. Justicia ovata (Walter) Lindau var. lanceolata (Chapman) Long has flowers produced mostly on the same side of the spike, singly and more widely spaced, leaves 5× as long as wide, and smooth seed.—A. Diamond

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Native OBL (NWPL) OBL (DEP)

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