Index / Search / Justicia americana
§1 Plant
Justicia americana (L.) Vahl
vernacular American water-willow — species · Acanthaceae
§2Habit & range
Habit and range
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb
- Duration
- Perennial
- Group
- Dicot
- Family
- Acanthaceae Juss.
- Genus
- Justicia
§2a
Native status, by region
- CAN Canada Native
- L48 Lower 48 States Native
§2b
County-level range
· 730 counties across 27 states/territories§3Cultivation specs · USDA
Recorded by the USDA Plant Materials Program.
§3a
Tolerances
- Drought
- Low
- Shade
- Low
- Moisture use
- Medium
- Fire
- Low
- Salinity
- None
- Anaerobic
- High
- CaCO₃
- Medium
- Hedging
- None
§3b
Climate & soil
- Cold tolerance
- -28 °F minimum
- Frost-free days
- 140 min.
- Precipitation
- 35–60 in/yr
- pH range
- 5.4–7.6
- Root depth
- 10 in min.
- Fertility need
- Low
- Soil texture
- coarse, medium, fine
§3c
Form & growth
- Growth form
- Rhizomatous
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Mature height
- 2.5 ft
- Foliage texture
- Fine
- Foliage colour
- Dark Green
- Flower colour
- White
- Fruit colour
- Brown
- Fire resistant
- No
- N fixation
- None
- Toxicity
- None
§3d
Reproduction
- Bloom period
- Late Spring
- Seed abundance
- Medium
- Seed begins
- Spring
- Seed ends
- Fall
- Spread rate
- Moderate
- Stratify
- No
- Seeds / lb
- 350,000
- Propagation
- bare root
§3e
Use & availability
- Commercial availability
- Routinely Available
- Nursery stock
- No
- Browse palatability
- Medium
- Graze palatability
- Medium
- Palatable, human
- No
- Lumber
- No
- Christmas tree
- No
§4Counties, by state
Recorded in 730 counties across 27 states/territories.
Alabama view state ↗ 30 N ▾
- Autauga 01001
- Bibb 01007
- Blount 01009
- Calhoun 01015
- Chambers 01017
- Cherokee 01019
- Choctaw 01023
- Cleburne 01029
- Coosa 01037
- Dallas 01047
- DeKalb 01049
- Jackson 01071
- Jefferson 01073
- Lauderdale 01077
- Lawrence 01079
- Lee 01081
- Lowndes 01085
- Madison 01089
- Marengo 01091
- Marshall 01095
- Monroe 01099
- Montgomery 01101
- Randolph 01111
- Shelby 01117
- St. Clair 01115
- Sumter 01119
- Tallapoosa 01123
- Tuscaloosa 01125
- Wilcox 01131
- Winston 01133
Arkansas view state ↗ 41 N ▾
- Baxter 05005
- Benton 05007
- Bradley 05011
- Carroll 05015
- Clark 05019
- Cleburne 05023
- Conway 05029
- Crawford 05033
- Drew 05043
- Faulkner 05045
- Franklin 05047
- Fulton 05049
- Garland 05051
- Hot Spring 05059
- Howard 05061
- Independence 05063
- Izard 05065
- Johnson 05071
- Logan 05083
- Madison 05087
- Marion 05089
- Mississippi 05093
- Montgomery 05097
- Newton 05101
- Ouachita 05103
- Perry 05105
- Pike 05109
- Polk 05113
- Pope 05115
- Pulaski 05119
- Randolph 05121
- Saline 05125
- Scott 05127
- Searcy 05129
- Sebastian 05131
- Sharp 05135
- Stone 05137
- Van Buren 05141
- Washington 05143
- White 05145
- Yell 05149
Delaware view state ↗ 1 N ▾
District of Columbia view state ↗ 1 N ▾
Florida view state ↗ 2 N ▾
Georgia view state ↗ 18 N ▾
Illinois view state ↗ 52 N ▾
- Adams 17001
- Brown 17009
- Bureau 17011
- Champaign 17019
- Clark 17023
- Clay 17025
- Coles 17029
- Cook 17031
- Crawford 17033
- DeKalb 17037
- Douglas 17041
- DuPage 17043
- Edgar 17045
- Fayette 17051
- Fulton 17057
- Grundy 17063
- Hamilton 17065
- Hancock 17067
- Hardin 17069
- Henderson 17071
- Jackson 17077
- Jasper 17079
- Jefferson 17081
- Kane 17089
- Kankakee 17091
- Kendall 17093
- Knox 17095
- LaSalle 17099
- Livingston 17105
- Logan 17107
- Macon 17115
- Macoupin 17117
- Madison 17119
- Mason 17125
- Moultrie 17139
- Perry 17145
- Pope 17151
- Randolph 17157
- Richland 17159
- Sangamon 17167
- Scott 17171
- St. Clair 17163
- Union 17181
- Vermilion 17183
- Wabash 17185
- Warren 17187
- Washington 17189
- Wayne 17191
- Will 17197
- Williamson 17199
- Winnebago 17201
- Woodford 17203
Indiana view state ↗ 42 N ▾
- Allen 18003
- Bartholomew 18005
- Boone 18011
- Brown 18013
- Carroll 18015
- Cass 18017
- Clark 18019
- Clinton 18023
- Crawford 18025
- Decatur 18031
- Dubois 18037
- Fountain 18045
- Fulton 18049
- Hamilton 18057
- Hancock 18059
- Harrison 18061
- Hendricks 18063
- Henry 18065
- Howard 18067
- Huntington 18069
- Jackson 18071
- Jefferson 18077
- Jennings 18079
- Johnson 18081
- Lawrence 18093
- Madison 18095
- Marion 18097
- Monroe 18105
- Montgomery 18107
- Morgan 18109
- Owen 18119
- Parke 18121
- Pulaski 18131
- Putnam 18133
- Rush 18139
- Tippecanoe 18157
- Vermillion 18165
- Wabash 18169
- Warren 18171
- Wayne 18177
- Wells 18179
- White 18181
Iowa view state ↗ 1 N ▾
Kansas view state ↗ 36 N ▾
- Allen 20001
- Anderson 20003
- Barton 20009
- Bourbon 20011
- Butler 20015
- Chase 20017
- Chautauqua 20019
- Cherokee 20021
- Clay 20027
- Coffey 20031
- Cowley 20035
- Crawford 20037
- Dickinson 20041
- Douglas 20045
- Elk 20049
- Geary 20061
- Greenwood 20073
- Jackson 20085
- Johnson 20091
- Labette 20099
- Leavenworth 20103
- Linn 20107
- Lyon 20111
- Marion 20115
- Miami 20121
- Montgomery 20125
- Morris 20127
- Neosho 20133
- Osage 20139
- Ottawa 20143
- Sedgwick 20173
- Shawnee 20177
- Wabaunsee 20197
- Wilson 20205
- Woodson 20207
- Wyandotte 20209
Kentucky view state ↗ 72 N ▾
- Adair 21001
- Allen 21003
- Anderson 21005
- Barren 21009
- Bath 21011
- Bell 21013
- Boone 21015
- Bourbon 21017
- Boyle 21021
- Bracken 21023
- Bullitt 21029
- Caldwell 21033
- Calloway 21035
- Campbell 21037
- Carter 21043
- Casey 21045
- Clark 21049
- Clay 21051
- Clinton 21053
- Edmonson 21061
- Elliott 21063
- Fayette 21067
- Fleming 21069
- Franklin 21073
- Grant 21081
- Hardin 21093
- Harlan 21095
- Harrison 21097
- Hart 21099
- Henry 21103
- Hopkins 21107
- Jackson 21109
- Jefferson 21111
- Jessamine 21113
- Kenton 21117
- Knott 21119
- Laurel 21125
- Lee 21129
- Leslie 21131
- Letcher 21133
- Lewis 21135
- Lincoln 21137
- Madison 21151
- Marion 21155
- Marshall 21157
- McCracken 21145
- McCreary 21147
- McLean 21149
- Menifee 21165
- Metcalfe 21169
- Monroe 21171
- Montgomery 21173
- Morgan 21175
- Ohio 21183
- Oldham 21185
- Owen 21187
- Pendleton 21191
- Perry 21193
- Pike 21195
- Robertson 21201
- Rockcastle 21203
- Rowan 21205
- Scott 21209
- Shelby 21211
- Spencer 21215
- Todd 21219
- Trigg 21221
- Warren 21227
- Wayne 21231
- Whitley 21235
- Wolfe 21237
- Woodford 21239
Louisiana view state ↗ 4 N ▾
Maryland view state ↗ 7 N ▾
Michigan view state ↗ 4 N ▾
Mississippi view state ↗ 3 N ▾
Missouri view state ↗ 87 N ▾
- Audrain 29007
- Barry 29009
- Barton 29011
- Bates 29013
- Benton 29015
- Bollinger 29017
- Boone 29019
- Butler 29023
- Callaway 29027
- Camden 29029
- Cape Girardeau 29031
- Carroll 29033
- Carter 29035
- Cass 29037
- Cedar 29039
- Christian 29043
- Clark 29045
- Clay 29047
- Clinton 29049
- Cole 29051
- Cooper 29053
- Crawford 29055
- Dade 29057
- Dallas 29059
- Dent 29065
- Douglas 29067
- Franklin 29071
- Gasconade 29073
- Greene 29077
- Henry 29083
- Hickory 29085
- Howard 29089
- Howell 29091
- Iron 29093
- Jackson 29095
- Jasper 29097
- Jefferson 29099
- Johnson 29101
- Knox 29103
- Laclede 29105
- Lewis 29111
- Lincoln 29113
- Linn 29115
- Livingston 29117
- Macon 29121
- Madison 29123
- Maries 29125
- Marion 29127
- McDonald 29119
- Miller 29131
- Mississippi 29133
- Moniteau 29135
- Monroe 29137
- Montgomery 29139
- Morgan 29141
- New Madrid 29143
- Newton 29145
- Oregon 29149
- Osage 29151
- Ozark 29153
- Perry 29157
- Pettis 29159
- Phelps 29161
- Pike 29163
- Polk 29167
- Pulaski 29169
- Ralls 29173
- Randolph 29175
- Reynolds 29179
- Ripley 29181
- Saline 29195
- Shannon 29203
- Shelby 29205
- St. Charles 29183
- St. Clair 29185
- St. Francois 29187
- St. Louis 29189
- Ste. Genevieve 29186
- Stone 29209
- Taney 29213
- Texas 29215
- Vernon 29217
- Warren 29219
- Washington 29221
- Wayne 29223
- Webster 29225
- Wright 29229
New Jersey view state ↗ 9 N ▾
New York view state ↗ 12 N ▾
North Carolina view state ↗ 28 N ▾
- Anson 37007
- Beaufort 37013
- Bertie 37015
- Buncombe 37021
- Chatham 37037
- Craven 37049
- Cumberland 37051
- Durham 37063
- Edgecombe 37065
- Granville 37077
- Halifax 37083
- Hertford 37091
- Lee 37105
- Madison 37115
- Martin 37117
- Montgomery 37123
- Moore 37125
- Nash 37127
- Northampton 37131
- Orange 37135
- Pasquotank 37139
- Polk 37149
- Randolph 37151
- Rockingham 37157
- Rowan 37159
- Stanly 37167
- Union 37179
- Washington 37187
Ohio view state ↗ 55 N ▾
- Allen 39003
- Ashland 39005
- Athens 39009
- Auglaize 39011
- Belmont 39013
- Brown 39015
- Butler 39017
- Champaign 39021
- Clark 39023
- Clermont 39025
- Columbiana 39029
- Coshocton 39031
- Cuyahoga 39035
- Defiance 39039
- Delaware 39041
- Erie 39043
- Fairfield 39045
- Fayette 39047
- Franklin 39049
- Guernsey 39059
- Hamilton 39061
- Henry 39069
- Highland 39071
- Hocking 39073
- Jackson 39079
- Jefferson 39081
- Knox 39083
- Lawrence 39087
- Licking 39089
- Logan 39091
- Lucas 39095
- Madison 39097
- Mahoning 39099
- Marion 39101
- Meigs 39105
- Mercer 39107
- Miami 39109
- Monroe 39111
- Morgan 39115
- Morrow 39117
- Muskingum 39119
- Noble 39121
- Ottawa 39123
- Paulding 39125
- Pike 39131
- Putnam 39137
- Ross 39141
- Shelby 39149
- Tuscarawas 39157
- Union 39159
- Van Wert 39161
- Vinton 39163
- Washington 39167
- Wayne 39169
- Wood 39173
Oklahoma view state ↗ 27 N ▾
- Beckham 40009
- Bryan 40013
- Carter 40019
- Cherokee 40021
- Cleveland 40027
- Comanche 40031
- Cotton 40033
- Delaware 40041
- Garfield 40047
- Garvin 40049
- Haskell 40061
- Johnston 40069
- Kay 40071
- Latimer 40077
- Le Flore 40079
- Marshall 40095
- Mayes 40097
- McCurtain 40089
- Murray 40099
- Muskogee 40101
- Okmulgee 40111
- Ottawa 40115
- Payne 40119
- Pontotoc 40123
- Pushmataha 40127
- Tillman 40141
- Washington 40147
Pennsylvania view state ↗ 45 N ▾
- Allegheny 42003
- Armstrong 42005
- Beaver 42007
- Bedford 42009
- Bradford 42015
- Bucks 42017
- Butler 42019
- Cambria 42021
- Centre 42027
- Chester 42029
- Clarion 42031
- Clinton 42035
- Columbia 42037
- Crawford 42039
- Cumberland 42041
- Dauphin 42043
- Fayette 42051
- Forest 42053
- Franklin 42055
- Fulton 42057
- Greene 42059
- Huntingdon 42061
- Juniata 42067
- Lancaster 42071
- Lawrence 42073
- Lebanon 42075
- Luzerne 42079
- Lycoming 42081
- Mercer 42085
- Mifflin 42087
- Montgomery 42091
- Montour 42093
- Northumberland 42097
- Perry 42099
- Philadelphia 42101
- Snyder 42109
- Somerset 42111
- Sullivan 42113
- Union 42119
- Venango 42121
- Warren 42123
- Washington 42125
- Westmoreland 42129
- Wyoming 42131
- York 42133
South Carolina view state ↗ 4 N ▾
Tennessee view state ↗ 41 N ▾
- Bedford 47003
- Benton 47005
- Blount 47009
- Campbell 47013
- Cheatham 47021
- Claiborne 47025
- Clay 47027
- Cumberland 47035
- Dickson 47043
- Grainger 47057
- Hamilton 47065
- Hawkins 47073
- Henry 47079
- Houston 47083
- Humphreys 47085
- Jackson 47087
- Knox 47093
- Lake 47095
- Lauderdale 47097
- Lewis 47101
- Madison 47113
- Marion 47115
- Meigs 47121
- Monroe 47123
- Montgomery 47125
- Morgan 47129
- Overton 47133
- Perry 47135
- Polk 47139
- Putnam 47141
- Rhea 47143
- Roane 47145
- Rutherford 47149
- Scott 47151
- Stewart 47161
- Sumner 47165
- Unicoi 47171
- Union 47173
- Washington 47179
- Wayne 47181
- Williamson 47187
Virginia view state ↗ 70 N ▾
- Albemarle 51003
- Amelia 51007
- Amherst 51009
- Appomattox 51011
- Augusta 51015
- Bedford 51019
- Bland 51021
- Botetourt 51023
- Brunswick 51025
- Buchanan 51027
- Buckingham 51029
- Campbell 51031
- Caroline 51033
- Carroll 51035
- Charles City 51036
- Chesterfield 51041
- Clarke 51043
- Craig 51045
- Culpeper 51047
- Cumberland 51049
- Dickenson 51051
- Dinwiddie 51053
- Fairfax 51059
- Fauquier 51061
- Fluvanna 51065
- Frederick 51069
- Giles 51071
- Goochland 51075
- Grayson 51077
- Halifax 51083
- Hanover 51085
- Henrico 51087
- Henry 51089
- James City 51095
- King George 51099
- King William 51101
- Lee 51105
- Loudoun 51107
- Lunenburg 51111
- Madison 51113
- Mecklenburg 51117
- Montgomery 51121
- Nelson 51125
- Northampton 51131
- Orange 51137
- Page 51139
- Pittsylvania 51143
- Powhatan 51145
- Prince Edward 51147
- Prince George 51149
- Prince William 51153
- Pulaski 51155
- Rappahannock 51157
- Rockbridge 51163
- Rockingham 51165
- Russell 51167
- Scott 51169
- Shenandoah 51171
- Smyth 51173
- Southampton 51175
- Spotsylvania 51177
- Stafford 51179
- Suffolk (city) 51800
- Surry 51181
- Sussex 51183
- Warren 51187
- Washington 51191
- Westmoreland 51193
- Wise 51195
- Wythe 51197
West Virginia view state ↗ 37 N ▾
- Barbour 54001
- Berkeley 54003
- Boone 54005
- Braxton 54007
- Brooke 54009
- Calhoun 54013
- Doddridge 54017
- Fayette 54019
- Gilmer 54021
- Grant 54023
- Greenbrier 54025
- Hampshire 54027
- Hardy 54031
- Harrison 54033
- Jackson 54035
- Jefferson 54037
- Lewis 54041
- Marion 54049
- Marshall 54051
- McDowell 54047
- Mercer 54055
- Mineral 54057
- Monongalia 54061
- Monroe 54063
- Morgan 54065
- Nicholas 54067
- Ohio 54069
- Preston 54077
- Raleigh 54081
- Summers 54089
- Taylor 54091
- Tucker 54093
- Upshur 54097
- Wayne 54099
- Wetzel 54103
- Wirt 54105
- Wyoming 54109
Wisconsin view state ↗ 1 N ▾
§5Sources & provenance
USDA PLANTS
Symbol, taxonomy, distribution, cultivation specs, native status. Public domain.
plants.usda.gov/JUAM ↗GBIF Backbone
Canonical taxonomic identity, synonym resolution, cross-refs. CC0.
gbif.org/species/5415426 ↗Record version
Cached and built locally. Source version on this record:
usda-plants-mt-2026-05-26
fetched 2026-05-26T09:28:40Z