American Water Willow
Other Common Names:
(Justicia americana)
Native
American water willow has round stems and alternate sword shaped leaves. Flowers have four petals that are violet or white; the bottom one has pink spots.
Management Options
Click here for more information on how to control American water willow.
Description
American water willow has simple stems that are thick, round, and grow upright; the plant can be up to three and a quarter feet tall. Alternate leaves are linear or sword shaped, thin at the base, and can grow more than six inches long and an inch wide. Flower spikes are a little more than an inch tall. The flowers themselves are a third to a half inch long and violet or white in color. They grow from the same place on the stem as the leaves. Flowers have four petals; the bottom petal can have pinkish or purplish spots near the center of the flower. American water willow fruit is about a half inch long, dry, and extends farther than the flower.
American water willow grows in shallow water or mud. Deer sometimes eat the leaves; beavers, muskrats, and nutria eat the rhizomes.
Location
American water willow can be found across most of the United States.
Propagation
seeds, roots
Management Options
Click here for more information on how to control American water willow.