About Justicia adhatoda L.
Justicia adhatoda L. is a shrub that produces 10 to 20 lance-shaped leaves. Each leaf measures 8 to 9 centimeters long and 4 centimeters wide. Leaves are oppositely arranged on short petioles, have smooth edges, and are bitter-tasting. Dried leaves have a dull brownish-green color. When a leaf is cleared with chloral hydrate and viewed under a microscope, oval stomata are visible. Each stoma is surrounded by two crescent-shaped cells positioned at right angles to the ostiole. The leaf epidermis bears simple one- to three-celled warty hairs, along with small glandular hairs. Cystoliths form beneath the epidermis on the lower surface of the leaf blade. The shrub’s trunk has many long, opposite, ascending branches, with yellowish-colored bark. Flowers are most commonly white, arranged in large, dense axillary spikes as the inflorescence. Fruits are pubescent and grow as club-shaped capsules.
