Justicia chaetocephala (Northern Colombian Justicia)

Endemic to northern Colombia, this wet-tropical member of the acanthus family grows as a subshrub, shrub, or climbing plant. It grows in the Caribbean lowlands and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, between about 980 and 4,430 feet. Typical plants have relatively narrow, hairy leaves that taper toward their tips. Flower clusters carry conspicuous bracts and tubular blossoms. Plants in Córdoba can have broader, smoother leaves and larger floral parts than the typical form. Photographed in Colombia.