Acanthaceae

Cardinal's-guard

Pachystachys spicata (Ruiz & Pav.) Wassh.

Family: Acanthaceae
Genus: Pachystachys

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Cardinal's-guard (Pachystachys spicata) — FlowerPhoto: Helio Lourencini, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (1)

English: Cardinal's-guard

Synonyms

Jacobinia coccinea Hiern
Justicia carnea Hook. ex Nees
Justicia coccinea Willd. ex Nees
Justicia spicata Ruiz & Pav.
Justicia spicata Vell. ex Nees
Lasiocladus spicatus Bojer ex Nees
Pachystachys asperula Nees
Pachystachys riedeliana Nees

Flowers

In flower: July, September to May (from 39 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb, Shrub
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Puerto Rico: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Helio Lourencini, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Tony Rebelo, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Helio Lourencini, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Todd Boland, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AEngelhardt, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Dieter Schulten, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Melissa McMasters, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Ben Costamagna, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

More in Pachystachys

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.