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.
Justicia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae. It is the largest genus within the family, encompassing around 700 species with hundreds more as yet unresolved. They are native to tropical to warm temperate regions of the Americas, India, and Africa. The genus serves as host to many butterfly species, such as Anartia fatima. Common names include water-willow and shrimp plant, the latter from the inflorescences, which resemble a shrimp in some species. The generic name honours Scottish horticulturist James Justice (1698–1763). They are closely related to Pachystachys.
Stenandrium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae native to the Americas, with 50 species of perennial herbs ranging from the southern United States to northern Argentina and central Chile.
The genus Asystasia belongs to the family Acanthaceae and comprises 59 species found in the tropics of Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Guinea. It includes the weedy species Asystasia gangetica.
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.
Blepharis dhofarensis is a species of plant in the family Acanthaceae. It is a shrub that grows to around 5m tall and is found in Oman and Yemen. Blepharis dhofarensis grows on wet escarpment woodlands and it prefers dense thickets on steep slopes. It is threatened by habitat loss. Recent molecular work has placed it in the genus Acanthus instead of Blepharis.
Blepharis is a genus of plant in family Acanthaceae. It contains around 126 species found in seasonally dry to arid habitats from Africa over Arabia to Southeast Asia. In section Acanthodium, there are 13–15 species that use the C4 carbon fixation pathway. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that this pathway evolved up to three times independently in the genus over the last five million years.
Neuracanthus is a genus of plants in the family Acanthaceae.
Pseuderanthemum is a genus of plants in family Acanthaceae with a pantropical distribution.
Psilanthele is a genus of plants in the family Acanthaceae, subfamily Acanthoideae, tribe Justicieae. The genus contains only one species, Psilanthele eggersii, native to Ecuador. Its habitat is coastal forest up to an elevation of 530 m. It assessed in 2003 as "critically endangered".
Sclerochiton is a genus of plants in the family Acanthaceae.
Stenostephanus is a genus of plants in the family Acanthaceae.
Whitfieldia is a genus of plants in the family Acanthaceae with about 14 species in tropical Africa.
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.
Stenandrium thomense, synonym Stenandriopsis thomensis, is a species of flowering plants of the family Acanthaceae. It is a low herb with purple flowers. The leaves are white beneath. It occurs in Nigeria, Cameroon and São Tomé and Príncipe. It was first described as Crossandra thomensis in 1935 by Milne-Redhead.
Xerothamnella is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, native to Queensland, Australia. A molecular study shows that it is nested within Peristrophe.
Sphinctacanthus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, native to Myanmar and Sumatra. Poorly attested, it seems to be found in tropical evergreen forests.
Mellera is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae.
Rhaphidospora is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae. A classification of the Acanthaceae published in 2022 treats Rhaphidospora as a synonym of Justicia.
