I first saw this flower in a garden in Dhaka about two decades ago, in the autumn. The petals of the deep pink flowers look a lot like bird feathers, and from a distance they could be mistaken for bougainvillea. Many people keep it in their collections for its colour, and its numbers are slowly growing as an ornamental. Though not native to our country, it has already won the hearts of flower lovers. The flower seemed familiar that day, but for a proper identification I turned to Professor Dwijen Sharma. He told me its scientific name is Justicia brandegeeana (syn. Beloperone guttata), and that it has no common Bengali name.

Sardar Nasir Uddin, senior scientific officer at the Bangladesh National Herbarium, said: "Many people are growing it as an ornamental on balconies or in small gardens. This plant came to our country only very recently." It is native to Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. Its English name is Mexican shrimp plant or shrimp plant, probably because the flower's shape somewhat resembles a shrimp. Whether we adopt the name chingri gachh (shrimp plant) is for subject experts to decide. Many cultivated varieties are found around the world, with a wealth of colours.

It is a shrub with spreading branches, growing 30 to 90 cm tall. The stem is woody and marked. The leaves are ovate, 2 to 5 cm long, tapering abruptly to a narrow stalk, dark green, hairy on both sides, with 6 to 7 pairs of veins. The bracts are ovate, about 1.5 cm, pinkish-red with white hairs. There are five sepals, 6 mm long, joined at the base, pale greenish-white. The two stamens are 1.5 cm long, tubular and white, with reddish dots inside, two-lobed above and three-lobed below, hairy inside and out. The corolla tube and two anther cells are joined by a broad connective, one higher than the other. The style is about 2.5 cm long, undivided and lightly hairy.

In its native range the main flowering season is October to February, but in our country it runs from the monsoon to late autumn. The flowers attract birds and butterflies. Research on the phytochemicals of many Justicia species has found antitumour, antiviral and antidiabetic compounds. It is propagated from tubers and seed, and is usually grown in pots.

Source: Samakal. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.