Justicia Carnea (Brazilian Plume Flower)

Justicia Aurea (Yellow Jacobinia) is a herbaceous shrub that hails from Mexico and Central America. This plant has huge, dark green leaves and the flower is similar in appearance to it’s cousin, the Brazilian Plume plant except that it is about 6-8 inches long and bright yellow. The long terminal spikes are carried from late summer to early winter, and can exceed 25 cm in length. Keep the buds forming by removing faded flowerheads promptly. Justicia aurea can be propagated from 10cm cuttings taken in spring and potted up under heat. If left to its own devices, it will reach a height of around 1.5-2m, but ideally it should be pruned back hard in early spring to produce a good compact plant.