Acanthaceae

Family of dicotyledonous plants, mostly tropical herbs and shrubs with tubular, bilaterally symmetrical flowers which are often in racemes or clustered in leaf axils, and are showy and sometimes enclosed in colourful modified leaves (bracteoles). The fruits are capsules, often discharging the seeds explosively. The best-known genus is Acanthus.

Other genera include Aphelandra, Beloperone (shrimp plant), Dianthera, Fittonia, Hygrophila, Jacobinia, Odontonema, Ruellia, Schaueria, Thunbergia, and Whitfieldia.