Algae and Plants
37
PLANTS
PhyLuM: MaGnoLioPhyta (FLowerinG PLantS)
Class: Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons)
Justicia americana (Linnaeus)
Phylum: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Lamiales
Family: Acanthaceae
Common name: American water-willow.
Distribution: Native to North America.
Habitat: On or near the shorelines of
still or slow waters in lakes and rivers, and on rocky riffles and shoals in
faster-flowing rivers.
Description: An herbaceous, aquatic
flowering plant forming large colonies. They are partially submerged,
reaching up to 40  cm tall from a
creeping  rhizome. Leaves  are 10  cm
opposite,  sessile, linear or lanceolate,
and slightly crenulated. Flowers are
bicolored, borne in an opposite arrangement on  spikes  3  cm long coming off
a  peduncle  10  cm long. Color ranges
from white to pale lavender, with the
upper corolla lip pale violet or white,
arching over the lower lip mottled
in dark purple. The lateral lobes  are
unadorned or slightly blushed. The root
is edible.
Nutritional Facts
Proximate Composition (% DM)
Ash
Fat
Protein
8.19
9.37
47.4