Acanthaceae
Blue pussyleaf
Nelsonia canescens
- Family
- Acanthaceae
- Genus
- Nelsonia
Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants

Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free
Common names
By language (4)
- Chinese
- 瘤子草
- English
- Blue pussyleaf
- ff
- Manda mbaala
- Malayalam
- നീല പൂച്ചയില
Synonyms
- Acanthodium spicatum Nees
- Dianthera celebica Rolfe
- Dianthera tomentosa Roxb. ex C.B.Clarke
- Justicia ajugoides Buch.-Ham. ex Nees
- Justicia bengalensis Spreng.
- Justicia canescens Lam.
- Justicia lamiifolia J.Koenig ex Roxb.
- Justicia nummulariifolia Vahl
- Justicia origanoides Vahl
- Justicia pentasticha Buch.-Ham. ex Wall.
- Justicia pusilla Pohl ex Nees
- Justicia tomentosa Roxb.
- Justicia vestita Schult.
- Nelsonia albicans Kunth
- Nelsonia brunelloides var. canescens (Lam.) Kuntze
- Nelsonia campestris R.Br.
- Nelsonia campestris var. vestita (Schult.) C.B.Clarke
- Nelsonia canescens var. canescens
- Nelsonia canescens var. vestita (Schult.) E.Hossain
- Nelsonia lamiifolia (J.Koenig ex Roxb.) R.Br. ex Spreng.
- Nelsonia nummulariifolia (Vahl) Roem. & Schult.
- Nelsonia origanoides (Vahl) Roem. & Schult.
- Nelsonia pohlii Nees
- Nelsonia rotundifolia R.Br.
- Nelsonia senegalensis Oerst.
- Nelsonia tomentosa A.Dietr.
- Nelsonia vestita Schult.
- Nelsonia villosa Oerst.
- Origanum lanatum Bojer ex Nees
- Rhaphidospora vestita G.Don
- Rostellularia bonthainensis Bremek.
- Ruellia diffusa Vell.
- Ruellia eriostachya Bojer ex Nees
- Strophacanthus bonthainensis Bremek.
- Zahlbrucknera repens Pohl ex Nees
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb
- Lifespan
- Annual
- In the US and Canada
- Puerto Rico: native
Photos

Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: Dr Bello olunike Adetunji, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: Chuma Nwokolo, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: Dr Bello olunike Adetunji, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: Bee Attack, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: Bee Attack, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
More in Nelsonia
Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.