SimplePlant

Acanthaceae

Blue pussyleaf

Nelsonia canescens (Lam.) Spreng.

Family
Acanthaceae
Genus
Nelsonia

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Blue pussyleaf: Acanthaceae (acanthus or ruellia family) » Nelsonia canescens ¿ nel-SOH-nee-uh -- ? kan-ESS-kens -- grey hair, greyish commonly known as : blue pussyleaf Native
Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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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

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.