Smooth Justicia
Justicia glabra
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- September-January
How to identify Smooth Justicia
Identify Smooth Justicia by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: September-January.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Acanthaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Smooth Justicia.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Justicia glabra
- Genus
- Justicia
- Family
- Acanthaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Hedges and open forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- Tropical Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Java
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Assam, Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Odisha, Mizoram, Punjab, Puducherry, Bihar, Nagaland, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Chandigarh, Haryana, Tripura, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Daman & Diu
- Flowering & fruiting
- September-January
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Smooth Justicia itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Smooth Justicia itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Tamil
- அகான்தசுத் தாவரப்பேரினம், முண்மூலிகைக் குடும்பம்
- Telugu
- అకాంథేసి
- Malayalam
- അകാന്തസ്, അക്കാന്തേസീ
- Nepali
- असुरो
About Smooth Justicia
Smooth Justicia (Justicia glabra) is a herb in the Acanthaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and 31 other states. It grows in hedges and open forests. Flowering and fruiting run from September to January.
Acanthaceae
Acanthus family
Smooth Justicia 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.
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