SHRIMP PLANT

(Justicia brandegeana, sometimes called Beloperone guttata), of the family Acanthaceae, (q.v.), popular border and greenhouse ornamental. Native to warm regions of the Americas and to the West Indies. Shrimp plants have several stems, about 45 centimetres (18 inches) tall, that bear clusters of white, spotted purple, tubular, two-lipped flowers enclosed or accompanied by numerous reddish-brown leaflike bracts that suggest the shape and colour of shrimps. Some popular varieties include the false hop, shrimp bush, and Mexican shrimp plant.