Taxonomic history:
1753: Linnaeus described this species as Justicia sexangularis in Species Plantarum, 1st ed., p. 16.
today: The current name for this species is Dicliptera sexangularis (L.) Juss.
original Latin description
Justicia foliis ovatis integerrimis, bracteis cuneiformibus, ramis sexangularibus.
English translation
Justicia with leaf blades ovate [and] entire; with bracts wedge-shaped; with branches six-angled.
| Justicia | Justicia |
| with leaf blades | foliis - ablative plural of second declension neuter noun folium, -i |
| ovate, | ovatis - ablative plural neuter of group A adjective ovatus, -a, -um; modifies foliis |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| entire; | integerrimis - ablative plural neuter of group A adjective integerrimus, -a, -um; modifies foliis |
| with bracts | bracteis - ablative plural of first declension feminine noun bractea, -ae |
| wedge-shaped; | cuneiformibus - ablative plural feminine of group B adjective cuneiformis, -is, -e; modifies bracteis |
| with branches | ramis - ablative plural of second declension masculine noun ramus, -i |
| six-angled. | sexangularibus - ablative plural masculine of group B adjective sexangularis, -is, -e; modifies ramis |