Justicia carnea or Brazilian plume flower

Care of the indoor plant Justicia carnea or Brazilian plume flower

The genus Justicia, family Acanthaceae, includes 400 species of herbaceous plants, shrubs, and climbing plants native to tropical America, Africa, and India. Some species are: Justicia carnea (Jacobinia carnea), Justicia adhatoda, Justicia suberecta (Jacobinia suberecta), Justicia aurea, Justicia floribunda (Jacobinia pauciflora), Jacobinia tinctoria, Justicia brandegeeana (Beloperone guttata), Jacobinia spicigera.

Common names: Jacobinia, Flamingo flower, Brazilian plume flower, Brazilian-plume. This species is native to Brazil.

They are fast-growing bushy plants that reach 2 meters (6.56 feet) in height (1 meter/3.28 feet in pot). They have dark green leaves with very marked nerves. The showy flowers appear in terminal spikes and are tube-shaped pink; There are varieties of orange, red, white or yellow flowers. They bloom in summer.

They are used as an indoor or greenhouse plant but they are not easy to grow plants. In regions with a tropical or subtropical climate, they are used on borders, in flowerbeds and in understory.

Justicia carnea needs an indoor illuminated exposure. Outdoors they grow in light shade or shade under trees.

The soil can be a mixture of 1/3 peat, 1/3 leaf mulch, and 1/3 coarse sand.

Water frequently with lime-free water so that the substrate is always damp but never flooded. In winter, reduce watering without allowing the substrate to dry out completely. They need a high humidity: place a plate with wet gravel under the pot and spray the leaves regularly.

Fertilize every 15 days with mineral fertilizer during the summer.

Lightly prune the tips of the branches after flowering to maintain a compact appearance. Plants should be renewed every 3 years because they lose their attractiveness.

If the humidity is low, they can be attacked by mites.

They propagate from cuttings in spring; rooting in peat with sand.