Justicia thunbergioides (Lilac Justicia)

This Brazilian shrub grows in seasonally dry tropical habitats and has oval to elliptical leaves on branching stems. Its flowers appear singly or in short clusters near the leaf axils and branch tips, with prominent leaf-like bracts beneath them. Lilac blossoms have a curved tube and two lips, with pale lines on the lower central lobe. The upper lip bends back near its tip. Seed capsules narrow between the seeds. In Brazil, it grows in dry scrub and along trails, often on clay-rich or stony ground. Photographed in Florida.