Justicia periplocifolia Jacq. Collect, Suppl. 5, pl. 7, fig. 2. 1796. Type collected at Caracas, Venezuela, by Jacquin. Photograph of type in the Vienna Her- barium in the U. S. National Herbarium (Field Mus. No. 32730). Justicia reflexiflora Vahl, Enum. 1: 157. 1804. Type collected on gravelly mountain, St. Thomas, West Indies, by Richard. Adhatoda periplocifolia Nees in DC. Prodr. 11: 395. 1847. Based on Justicia periplocifolia Jacq. Adhatoda reflexiflora Nees in DC. Prodr. 11: 398. 1847. Based on Justicia reflexiflora Vahl. Suffrutescent plants, sometimes weakly clambering over small bushes; stems terete or the upper portions obscurely quadrangular, glabrous or the nodes bearing a few minute curved subappressed hairs; leaf blades usually narrowly lanceolate, but sometimes oblong- ovate, up to 16 cm. long and 2.5 cm. wide, acuminate, often slenderly so, narrowed, obtuse or rounded at base, moderately firm, entire or undulate, both surfaces glabrous or the costa and lateral veins (5 or 6 pairs) sparingly puberulous, the hairs subappressed, up to 0.15 mm. long, the venation obscure, the cystoliths minute and inconspicuous; petioles up to 1 cm. long, minutely puberulous; flowers sessile, axillary or the uppermost forming dense to lax spikes, these sometimes up to 6 cm. long and 2.5 cm. broad; bracts and bractlets subequal, linear- lanceolate, 15 mm. long, the bracts 1.5 mm. wide, the bractlets 1 mm. wide, both bracts and bractlets slenderly acuminate, sparingly hirtel- lous, the hairs ca. 0.2 mm. long, usually some of them glandular; calyx 12 mm. long, deeply segmented, sparingly hirtellous, the segments lanceolate, 1.5 mm. wide, slenderly acuminate, white-margined; corolla up to 4.5 cm. long, rose-red, sparingly pubescent, the hairs up to 0.2 mm. long, some of them glandular, the corolla tube up to 2.5 cm. long, 3 mm. broad at base, narrowed at 4 mm. above base to 2 mm., thence gradually enlarged to 5.5 mm. at mouth, the upper lip conical-ovate, 2 cm. long, erect, 8 mm. wide at base, 1.5 mm. wide at tip, rounded or shallowly emarginate, the lower lip spreading, oblong, 10 mm. wide, trilobate at tip, the lobes ovate, 7 mm. long, 4 mm. wide at base, rounded; stamens exserted 15 mm. beyond mouth of the corolla, the filaments flat, glabrous, the anther lobes superposed, the connective 0.5 mm. wide, the upper lobe 2.5 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, the lower 3.5 mm. long and 1 mm. wide, the base tipped by a white blunt sigmoid tail 1 mm. long and 0.5 mm. wide; style reaching tip of stamens, glabrous or bearing a few minute hairs toward base; capsules clavate, 15 mm. long, 6 mm. broad, 5 mm. thick (the solid basal portion flat, 7 mm. long, 4 mm. wide), obtuse, finely puberulous; retinacula 2.5 mm. long, the tip flat and bidentate; seed subspherical, 3 mm. in diameter, 2 mm. thick, minutely gray tomentose, the coating deciduous leaving the seed reddish brown to black, smooth and nitid. Occasional in northern South America but more general in México and the West Indies. Thickets, slopes, and banks, limited more or less to coastal regions. ARAUCA: Río Casanare, Barranco de Atahuarpa, altitude 120 meters, Cuatrecasas 4269.