Species · genus Justicia · Acanthaceae
Orange Flame Justicia
Justicia aurea Schltdl.
Also known as: Yellow Jacobinia
Cultivars of J. aurea
The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.
No named cultivars catalogued under J. aurea 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.
A Golden Shrimp Plant
Justicia aurea is a shrub in the Acanthaceae family, the same family that gives us the shrimp plants and their kin. It goes by a few older names too, including Jacobinia aurea and Cyrtanthera catalpifolia, remnants of past reshufflings in the genus.
Source: RHS
From Mexico to Panama
This shrub's native ground stretches from Mexico down through Central America, taking in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama among others. It is a plant of the wet tropical biome, at home in humid, rain-fed conditions. It has since been introduced beyond its native range, turning up in places like Cuba, Peru, Fiji, and Vanuatu.
Source: Kew
A Justicia Habit
As a member of Justicia, this plant follows the genus pattern of evergreen perennials or shrubs with simple leaves. Its flowers come in spikes or clusters, tubular and two-lipped, 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 5-10d)
- Humidity
- ai:claude-opus-4-8
- Soil
- ai:claude-fable-5
- Care
- ai:claude-fable-5
Bright, indirect
≈ every 10 days
Medium
16–29 °C
Rich, well-draining potting mix with added compost
Softwood stem cuttings rooted in moist mix
Balanced liquid feed monthly in the growing season
Fast
Golden plume spikes in warmth; uncommon indoors
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 5-10d) · ai:claude-fable-5
Kept true by its growers
Every fact here carries its source. Grow Orange Flame Justicia 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.
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