Shrimp Plants

Scientific Name: Justicia brandegeana Wasshausen & L. B. Smith
Synonym: Beloperone guttata
Family: Acanthaceae

Recommended Temperature Zone:
Sunset®: 12, 13, 15-17, 21-27
USDA: 9b-10

Frost Tolerance: In the coldest part of its growing area, hard freezes kill it to the ground, but it comes back in spring

Heat Tolerance: Afternoon shade in the low deserts

Sun Exposure: Part shade to part sun

Origin: Mexico

Growth Habits: Fast growing evergreen mounding shrub or ground cover, 3 to 6 feet tall (0.9-1.8 m), 3 to 4 feet wide (0.9-1.2 m); opposite ovate pubescent leaves, 2 to 5 inches long (5-12.5 cm), 1 to 2 inches wide (2.5-5 cm)

Watering Needs: Moderate to abundant water, needs rich soil, doesn't tolerate much salt, the leaves drop if the plant does not get enough water.

Propagation: Cuttings, division, seed

Named after Townsend and Katharine Brandegee, late 19th century American botanists.

Blooming Habits:
White tubular flower, with red spots, projecting from imbricated showy pink to red or yellow bracts reminding vaguely of a shrimp tail. Blooms year around.

Fruiting Habits:
Capsule

Culture:
The Shrimp Plants will take full sun, but the blossoms will not last as long. It can be grown as an erect shrub by pruning it.