Justicia longii – Longflower Tube Tongue

Justicia longii - Longflower Tube Tongue, Longflower Tubetongue, Dwarf White Honeysuckle, Siphonoglossa

Justicia longii - Longflower Tube Tongue, Longflower Tubetongue, Dwarf White Honeysuckle, Siphonoglossa

Plant Name

Scientific Name: Justicia longii

Synonyms: Adhatoda longiflora, Siphonoglossa longiflora

Common Names: Longflower Tube Tongue, Longflower Tubetongue, Dwarf White Honeysuckle, Siphonoglossa

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial

Growth Habit: Subshrub, Herb/Forb

Arizona Native Status: Native

Habitat: Desert, Upland. This wildflower grows in canyons, on rocky slopes, and in the mountain foothills.

Flower Color: White

Flowering Season: Spring, Summer, Fall (early). It mainly blooms after the summer monsoon rains.

Height: To 14 inches (36 cm) tall

Description: The flowers emerge from the upper leaf axils. The individual flowers are tubular, 2 inches (5 cm) long, and have 3 lower lobes and 1 upper lobe. The flowers are nocturnal and open in the evening. The following morning, the floral tubes will drop off of the plants. The leaves are dark green, opposite, and lanceolate in shape.

Classification

Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Scrophulariales
Family: Acanthaceae – Acanthus family
Genus: Justicia L. – water-willow
Species: Justicia longii Hilsenb. – longflower tube tongue

More About This Plant

Arizona County Distribution Map