Biology:Ruellia simplex
| Ruellia simplex | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Acanthaceae |
| Genus: | Ruellia |
| Species: | R. simplex
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| Binomial name | |
| Ruellia simplex C.Wright
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| Synonyms | |
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See text | |
Ruellia simplex, the Mexican petunia, Mexican bluebell, Britton's wild petunia, or Purple showers,[1] is a species of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae that is native to Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. It has become a widespread invasive plant in Florida, where it was likely introduced as an ornamental before 1933,[2][3] as well as in the eastern Mediterranean, South Asia and other parts of the Eastern Hemisphere.
Taxonomy and synonyms
Ruellia simplex (Wright) is the oldest and accepted name for this species, which has been variously called Ruellia angustifolia (Nees, Lindau), Ruellia brittoniana (Leonard), and Cryphiacanthus angustifolius (Nees), among others.[4][5] The genus is named after French botanist Jean Ruel, while the specific name refers to the simple, not compound leaves.[6]
Description
Ruellia simplex is an evergreen perennial growing 3 ft (0.91 m) tall, forming colonies of stalks with lance-shaped leaves that are 6 to 12 in (15 to 30 cm) long and .5 to .75 in (1.3 to 1.9 cm) wide.
The flowers are metallic blue to purple, trumpet-shaped with an about 2 in (5.1 cm)-wide, five-lobed corolla. There is a dwarf variety that is only 1 ft (0.30 m) tall.[2]
Distribution
Ruellia simplex is native to Mexico, the West Indies, western Bolivia, southwestern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina. It has been widely used as an ornamental plant and has escaped from cultivation in the United States, Australia and parts of Asia, as well as several Pacific Islands.
It has become invasive in some of these areas, forming dense, single-species stands of vegetation which threaten native plants. It is mainly a plant of wet places such as ditches, pond verges, lakesides and marshes, but can survive in drier conditions.[7]
Control
The University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is trying to reduce the number of home gardeners who plant R. simplex by recommending alternatives, especially Silphium asteriscus, Sisyrinchium angustifolium, Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, Stokesia laevis, but also including some R. simplex cultivars that are sterile.[8]
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Ruellia simplex, pink -
Ruellia simplex, white -
Trumpet shaped flowers -
Leaves and stem -
Blooms often fall within hours.
References
- ↑ "Ruellia simplex 'Purple Showers'". https://www.brookgreen.org/plant-collection/name/ruellia-simplex-purple-showers.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Ruellia simplex". FLIP (Florida Invasive Plants). University of South Florida. http://www.plantatlas.usf.edu/flip/plant.aspx?id=35.
- ↑ {{citation | mode = cs1 | title = Ruellia simplex | work = Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) | url = | publisher = [[Organization:Agricultural Research ServAgricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) | access-date = 14 January 2018 }}
- ↑ "Ruellia simplex C.Wright". The Kew Plant List. http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-2420045.
- ↑ Manzitto-Tripp, Erin A.; Daniel, Thomas F. (2023-07-23). "Phylogeny and revised classification of New World Ruellia". Taxon 72 (5): 1034–1056. doi:10.1002/tax.13001. Bibcode: 2023Taxon..72.1034M. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/tax.13001. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
- ↑ "Ruellia simplex". Landscape Plants for South Florida. Palm Beach State College. http://www.plantbook.org/plantdata/acanthaceae/ruellia_simplex.html.
- ↑ Rojas-Sandoval, Julissa; Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro (2014). "Ruellia simplex (Mexican petunia)". Invasive Species Compendium (CABI) CABI Compendium. doi:10.1079/cabicompendium.110307. https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/110307. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ↑ "ENH1207/EP468: Alternatives to Invasive Plants Commonly Found in Central Florida Landscapes". Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), UF. 2018-08-29. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ep468.
External links
- Ruellia simplex in Florida. Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants.
- IPNI Listing
Wikidata ☰ Q1902176 entry
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