The Mexican Shrimp Plant
Justicia brandegeeana
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala & more
How to identify The Mexican Shrimp Plant
Identify The Mexican Shrimp Plant by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a shrub habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Overlapping reddish bracts resembling a shrimp (shrimp plant).
- Confirm leaf surface: Pubescent.
- Confirm flower colour: Red.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Acanthaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is The Mexican Shrimp Plant.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Justicia brandegeeana
- Genus
- Justicia
- Family
- Acanthaceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- PubescentrecordedCovered in short, soft hairs.“The stems and leaves are downy.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for The Mexican Shrimp Plant itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Redrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for The Mexican Shrimp Plant itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family — flowering plants only.
About The Mexican Shrimp Plant
A member of the Acanthaceae family, The Mexican Shrimp plant (Justicia brandegeeana) is a shrub. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala and 5 other states.
Uses
It is planted as an ornamental.
Acanthaceae
Acanthus family
The Mexican Shrimp Plant belongs to the Acanthaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Acanthaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides