Waterwillow

Waterwillow

Justicia procumbens

A plant that grows very close to the ground in open, grassy areas. Its leaves are elliptic with tiny hairs on the leaf margin. Its pale pink flowers cluster on top of a fuzzy structure at the end of the stem. It is the host plant of the beautiful Peacock Pansy butterfly.

Status: Least concern, Introduced (India)

Habit: Perennial herbaceous

Cultivation: Planted by seeds or transplanting

Ecological Function: Attracts pollinators, butterfly host plant (Junonia orithya)

Pollinators:  Butterflies, bees, flies

Soil: Loam, sand, clay

Moisture: Moist soils

Shade: Partial shade, no shade