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Acanthaceae
Ruellia

not marked as a favorite taxon Ruellia humilis Nuttall. Common name: Low Wild-petunia, Hairy Wild-petunia, Fringeleaf Ruellia. Phenology: May-Oct. Habitat: Calcareous or mafic glades and woodlands, prairies, dry woodlands and fields. Distribution: S. PA west to se. MN and e. NE, south to c. NC, nc. SC (York County; Schmidt & Barnwell 2002), c. AL, s. MS, s. LA, and c. and s. TX.

Glossary (beta!)

Section: Boreosilva.

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Taxonomy Comments: This species badly needs taxonomic re-evaluation, looking at variation (some previously recognized -- see synonymy) across its wide and fragmented distribution. Piedmont plants of NC and SC are uniformly white-flowered.

Synonymy ⓘ: = Ar, GrPl, K4, Mi, Mo2, NcTx, NS, NY, Ok, Pa, POWO, RAB, Tn, Va, W, WV, Long (1970), Wasshausen (1998); > Ruellia humilis Nutt. var. calvescens Fernald — C, F, G, Fernald (1945); > Ruellia humilis Nutt. var. depauperata Tharp & F.A.Barkley — Tx, Turner (1991); > Ruellia humilis Nutt. var. expansa Fernald — F, Tx; > Ruellia humilis Nutt. var. frondosa Fernald — F, G, Tx, Fernald (1945); > Ruellia humilis Nutt. var. humilis — C, F, G, Il, Turner (1991); > Ruellia humilis Nutt. var. longiflora A.Gray — F, Il, Tx, Fernald (1945); > Ruellia humilis Nutt. var. typica Fernald — Fernald (1945). Basionym: Ruellia humilis Nutt. 1837 [1835]

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Wetland Indicator Status:

  • Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FACU
  • Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FACU
  • Great Plains: FAC
  • Midwest: FACU
  • Northcentral & Northeast: FACU

Heliophily ⓘ: 9

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image #1 of Ruellia humilis© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
image #2 of Ruellia humilisno rights reserved, uploaded by Alan Weakley source CC0 | Original Image ⭷
image #3 of Ruellia humilis© Bruce Sorrie
image #4 of Ruellia humilis© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image #5 of Ruellia humilis© jtuttle, all rights reserved, uploaded by jtuttle source | Original Image ⭷
image #6 of Ruellia humilis© jtuttle, all rights reserved, uploaded by jtuttle source | Original Image ⭷
image #7 of Ruellia humilis© Milo Pyne, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Milo Pyne source CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image #8 of Ruellia humilisno rights reserved, uploaded by Alan Weakley source CC0 | Original Image ⭷
image #9 of Ruellia humilis© jtuttle, all rights reserved, uploaded by jtuttle source | Original Image ⭷
image #10 of Ruellia humilis© jtuttle, all rights reserved, uploaded by jtuttle source | Original Image ⭷
image #11 of Ruellia humilis© Sonnia Hill | Original Image ⭷
image #12 of Ruellia humilis© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image #13 of Ruellia humilis© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
image #14 of Ruellia humilis© Keith Bradley | Original Image ⭷
image #15 of Ruellia humilis© Milo Pyne, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Milo Pyne source CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷

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Horticultural Information

NCBG trait

Intro: Almost bushy, erect perennial found in calcareous or mafic glades and in woodlands and prairies.

Stems: Stems with long, arched and sometimes reclining branches from the base; hairy.

Leaves: Leaves opposite, mostly sessile, elliptic to oval, slightly leathery.

Inforescence:

Flowers: Flowers single and sessile, or in several few-flowered clusters in the upper 4-8 leaf axils; lilac to blue (rarely white); 1-2 in. long; funnel-shaped with 5 broad, spreading corolla lobes that are prominently creased. 5 shorter calyx segments are narrowly awl-shaped.

Fruits: Fruit a narrow, somewhat flattened, oval capsule.

Comments:

Height: 4-15 in.

plant sale text:

bloom table text:

description: Almost bushy, erect perennial found in calcareous or mafic glades and in woodlands and prairies.

stems: Stems with long, arched and sometimes reclining branches from the base; hairy.

leaves: Leaves opposite, mostly sessile, elliptic to oval, slightly leathery.

inflorescence:

flowers: Flowers single and sessile, or in several few-flowered clusters in the upper 4-8 leaf axils; lilac to blue (rarely white); 1-2 in. long; funnel-shaped with 5 broad, spreading corolla lobes that are prominently creased. 5 shorter calyx segments are narrowly awl-shaped.

fruits: Fruit a narrow, somewhat flattened, oval capsule.

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cultural notes:

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