Didn’t you know that shrimp grew on trees? 😂 The Shrimp Plant is named for its cascading inflorescences that look like shrimp.
Native to Mexico, naturalized in Florida, and cultivated in tropical and subtropical gardens around the world, the Shrimp Plant is also a medicinal plant with ongoing investigation. The Huastec people of Mexico have used it as traditional medicine for a number of uses, including treating dysentery, wounds and gastrointestinal disorders. More recently, the Justicia genus has been the subject of scientific investigation into its phytochemical constituents and medicinal uses. There are approximately 600 species in the Justicia genus and this group of plants have been found to possess antitumor, antiviral and antidiabetic activity.
#MedicinalPlants #Ethnopharm #Ethnobotany #shrimpplant #justicia #Florida #Mexico #tropical #gardening
Photo by cultivar413