The Justicia protracta subsp. protracta stem-tip in picture shows round-tipped leaves ascending from the stem, nearly flat-bladed and glossy although coarsely textured with variable, mostly limited hairiness.

Pointed calyx and bract tips can be discerned around the emerging buds in some leaf axils (Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist; www.theplantlibrary.co.za).