Ruellia caroliniensis (Carolina wild petunia)

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Ruellia caroliniensis (J.F. Gmel.) Steud.

Carolina wild petunia, thickleaf wild petunia

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Lamiales	Aromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary
Family	Acanthaceae	Acanthus family, of tropical herbs and shrubs
Genus	Ruellia	Named for physician and botanist Jean Ruel, whose translation of Dioscorides, Materia medica, written in 65 AD, became the basis for modern pharmaceutical and herbal writing
Species	caroliniensis	Of or from Carolina

About plant names...

Carolina wild petunia is a North American native found in the southeastern United States. It prefers sandy uplands, flatwoods, hammocks, and open woods. Although these flowers resemble petunias, they aren’t related to petunias at all. They can also be confused with Mexican petunias, a larger and very aggressive invasive species.

Plants: 12-30" (30-76 cm) high, and 9-24" (22-60 cm) around.

Leaves: Dense opposite, oval or ovate leaves.

Flowers: Purple or lavender, with a slender corolla (throat) and five overlapping petals. The throat is very deep, about the same as the flower’s diameter. They appear from late spring to early fall.

Fruits: Oval seed capsules, each with about 5 seeds, form at the bases of the flowers, turning brown before exploding to release the seeds.

Online References:

Www.fnps.org (PDF)

Hawthornhillwildflowers.blogspot.com

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

4/14/2015 · Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park, Florida
≈ 6 × 7" (15 × 18 cm)

4/14/2015 · Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park, Florida
≈ 6 × 4½" (14 × 12 cm)

Ruellia caroliniensis description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

4/14/2015 · Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park, Florida
≈ 8 × 7" (20 × 17 cm)

4/14/2015 · Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park, Florida
≈ 6 × 6" (14 × 15 cm)

4/14/2015 · Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park, Florida
≈ 8 × 7" (19 × 18 cm)

4/14/2015 · Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park, Florida
≈ 7 × 5" (17 × 13 cm)

Range: Zones 5b-10b:

About this map...