Shrimp plant
Justicia brandegeeana
Also called Mexican shrimp plant and False hop
Houseplant · FloweringThe shrimp is the bracts, not the flower — they hold for months, while the little white bloom inside lasts days.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Medium
- Water
- Every 5 daysDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Bright, some direct sun
- Feed
- Every 21 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out for the summer RHS H1C, to 5°C
- Size
- 0.9 m tall · 0.9 m across
- Lifecycle
- Shrub
- Origin
- Mexico to Central America
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsNothing recorded against it
No animal-poison authority lists this plant either way.
PeopleNot checked yet
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-07-31. Where a source says nothing, we say nothing.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- New bracts come out fawn instead of copper-pink — the colour is the first thing light shortage takes, well before the plant gets leggy.Pale bracts · disorder