Justicia Americana- Water Willow

The Justicia Americana, also known as the American water-willow, or just water willow, grows up to a maximum height of only over three and one-quarter feet tall. The water willow is an emergent aquatic plant, meaning that it can stand on its own out of the water and does not require water to hold it upright. Despite its name, it is not closely related to willows. However, it does have similar looking leaves and grow near water, as willows do, which is how it got the name. Justice Americana has multiple stalks about one-quarter of an inch in thickness, with six inches, sword-shaped, medium green leaves at regular intervals. The leaves may be single protrusions or may be paired on either side of the growth segment. Each leave is only about an inch in width. The cluster flowers of the water willow are on long, thin stems, which are much smaller in diameter than the stalks that hold the leaves. The flowers themselves, which somewhat resemble tiny orchids, range in color from white to shades of pink, purple and violet. The plants bloom from April to October. This plant grows best in the moist or wet soil, particularly near or under water, and it prefers sandy loam or clay in which to build. It can be found all along the east coast of the United States as far west as Kansas and as far south as Florida, and ranging north as far as into Quebec and Ontario, Canada. The water willow is food for the Texas Crescentspot butterfly but is considered goose resistant and mildly deer resistant. It is a colonizing plant, using underground stems to spread across the available area. A single colony over time can grow over an area as large as one thousand square feet. It is excellent at erosion control and also does well in areas with frequent water fluctuation.