# Shrimp plant (*Justicia brandegeeana*)

The shrimp plant is a colorful plant with bright, shrimp-like flowers! It loves warm weather and can be found in gardens and parks, adding beauty wherever it grows.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Urban areas

![Shrimp plant](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Justicia_brandegeeana_bokeh.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Rror, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Justicia_brandegeeana_bokeh.jpg)

## Appearance

The Shrimp plant has arching stems with oval green leaves. Its most distinctive feature is the cascading, shrimp-like bracts, typically reddish-orange or salmon-pink, that appear in overlapping rows, encasing tiny white flowers.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Lamiales
- **Family:** Acanthaceae
- **Genus:** Justicia

## Interesting facts

- Despite its exotic, tropical looks, it's surprisingly easy to grow indoors as a houseplant.
- Hummingbirds eagerly sip its nectar, often visiting this plant throughout the day.
- It's named 'shrimp plant' because its colorful bracts look just like cooked shrimp!
- The tiny white flowers poke out from the 'shrimp' bracts, like a hidden surprise!

## Special abilities

- **Bract Barrier:** Shrimp plant has colorful bracts that protect its small, delicate true flowers from external elements.
- **Nectar Beacon:** Shrimp plant has tubular flowers, perfectly shaped to attract hummingbirds, its primary pollinators.
- **Continuous Bloom:** Shrimp plant can bloom almost continuously in warm climates, providing a consistent food source.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 90-180 cm
- **Spread:** 60-90 cm
- **Flower Size:** 1-2 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Year-round in warm climates
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Bird

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** [Ruby-throated Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/ruby-throated-hummingbird) (*Archilochus colubris*) — Sips nectar, transfers pollen between blooms.
- **Pollinates:** [Monarch butterfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/monarch-butterfly) (*Danaus plexippus*) — Visits flowers for nectar, aiding reproduction.
- **Pollinates:** Western honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Collects nectar and pollen from tiny flowers.

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Shrub](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shrub): A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground.
- [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished.
- [Everblooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/everblooming): Everblooming plants produce flowers continuously or in repeated flushes over a long period.
- [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always look but don't touch plants without asking an adult first.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Shrimp plant?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Shrimp plant?

90-180 cm

### How wide does Shrimp plant spread?

60-90 cm

### How big are the flowers on Shrimp plant?

1-2 cm

### When does Shrimp plant bloom?

Year-round in warm climates

### Is Shrimp plant edible?

No

### Is Shrimp plant toxic?

None

### What is Shrimp plant's lifecycle?

Perennial

## Where to spot

- [Paseo Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/paseo-park) — Texas, US · Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Shrimp plant: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/shrimp-plant)