Justicia cooleyi

Justicia cooleyi is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae known by the common name Cooley's water-willow. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where it occurs in three counties. It is a federally listed endangered species. This plant can be found on the Brooksville Ridge of Florida in Hernando and Sumter Counties. It is also reported from Lake County. Its exact abundance is not known because of the lack of recent comprehensive surveys. In 2000 there were seventeen occurrences. This is a rhizomatous perennial herb growing erect, hairy, square-edged stems up to about half a meter tall. The oppositely arranged leaves are up to 7 centimeters long. The flower has tubular purplish corollas about a centimeter long, with lips marked with white. This is a member of the flora in hardwood forests with sandy or silty substrates over limestone rock. The forests are dominated by magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto......read more on Wikipedia.