Species · genus Justicia · Acanthaceae

Malabar Nut

Justicia adhatoda L.

Also known as: Malabar Nut Tree · Pavettia

Growth habit

shrub or tree

Native range

Afghanistan, Assam, Bangladesh, East Himalaya, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, West Himalaya

Justicia adhatoda — reference photo — no rights reserved · CC0

Cultivars of J. adhatoda

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under J. adhatoda yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Malabar Nut, Named

Justicia adhatoda, also called adhatoda or malabar nut, is a shrub in the Acanthaceae family. It carries the older synonym Adhatoda vasica in some references, a name still seen on older labels and in the literature.

Source: RHS

A Native of Dry Tropics

This shrub or small tree is native across a broad stretch from Afghanistan through the Indian subcontinent and Himalaya to Indo-China, including Pakistan, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. It grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome, the kind of climate with a marked wet and dry season. Beyond its native range it has been introduced and now grows in places such as Algeria, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Cuba and Jamaica.

Source: Kew

Shrub or Small Tree

Justicia adhatoda takes the form of a shrub or tree rather than a compact houseplant habit. As a member of the genus Justicia, it belongs to a group generally recognised for simple leaves and spikes or clusters of tubular, two-lipped flowers, often set off by conspicuous bracts.

Source: RHS

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-12d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 12 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

13–30 °C

Soil mix

Well-draining loamy mix with organic matter

Propagation

Semi-ripe stem cuttings rooted in warm mix

Fertilizing

Balanced feed monthly during active growth

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

White flowers with purple veining in dense spikes

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-12d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Malabar Nut yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.