Acanthaceae is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in temperate regions. The four main centres of distribution are Indonesia and Malaysia, Africa, Brazil, and Central America. Representatives of the family can be found in nearly every habitat, including dense or open forests, scrublands, wet fields and valleys, sea coast and marine areas, swamps, and mangrove forests.
Aphelandra is a genus of about 170 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas.
Ruellia is a genus of flowering plants commonly known as ruellias or wild petunias. They are not closely related to petunias (Petunia) although both genera belong to the same euasterid clade. The genus was named in honor of Jean Ruelle (1474–1537), herbalist and physician to Francis I of France and translator of several works of Dioscorides.
Dicliptera is a genus of flowering plants in the bear's breeches family, Acanthaceae. Well-known synonyms include Peristrophe and Dactylostegium.
Justicia phyllocalyx is a plant species native to central South America.
Poikilacanthus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae.
Stenandrium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae native to the Americas.
Anisotes is a genus of Afrotropical plants in the family Acanthaceae. The genus is morphologically similar to Metarungia, from which it differs mainly in the dehiscence of the fruit capsule, and the nature of the placenta. Placentas remain attached to the inner surface of fruit capsules in Anisotes.
Odontonema, the toothedthreads, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae. It is native to Central America.
Pseuderanthemum is a genus of plants in family Acanthaceae with a pantropical distribution.
Stenostephanus is a genus of plants in the family Acanthaceae.
Crossandra is a genus of plants in the family Acanthaceae, comprising 54 species that occur in Africa, Madagascar, Arabia and the Indian subcontinent. Some species, especially Crossandra infundibuliformis, are cultivated for their brightly colored flowers.
Justicia carnea, the Brazilian plume flower, Brazilian-plume, flamingo flower, or jacobinia, is a flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae.
Stenandriopsis is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae. It is considered a synonym of Stenandrium by some sources, including Plants of the World Online as of March 2022, Molecular phylogenies have placed the Old World Stenandriopsis apart from New World Stenandrium, and the genus is accepted in a classification of the family Acanthaceae published in 2022.
Chamaeranthemum is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae.
Herpetacanthus is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae.
Mellera is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae.
Justicia procumbens var. simplex near Talakona Forest, in Chittoor District
