Ruellia rubra Aubl.

Species

Angiosperms > Lamiales > Acanthaceae > Ruellia

Characteristics

Herb 40-75 cm tall. Stem unbranched, deeply sulcate decumbent at base, sparingly pubescent becoming glabrescent with age. Petiole 2-5 mm long; blade decreasing in size towards apex, rather firm, elliptic, 10-16 x 3-5 cm, caudate-acuminate at apex, acute or slightly attenuate at base, glabrous, margin sinuate or undulate, puberulous; primary veins and secondary veins (6-8 pairs) conspicuous, not connected to intermarginal veins, pubescent; cystoliths conspicuous under a lens. Inflorescence axillary or terminal, alternate or opposite, pedunculate; flowers dense or lax on once or twice dichasially branched, 9-13 cm long peduncles, glabrous or sparingly and inconspicuously puberulous, subquadrangular, canaliculate; basal bracts linear, to 25 x 2.5 mm, glabrous to sparingly puberulous, cystoliths prominent under a lens; pedicel of central flower 1-2 mm long; bracteoles subulate, 1.5-2 x 0.4-0.5 mm, glabrous, margin ciliolate. Calyx lobes green, linear, 8-9 x 0.5-1 mm, sparingly glandular pubescent, trichomes pilose and gland-tipped, densely covered with cystoliths, these conspicuous under a lens; corolla white with lavender streaks to lilac or violet, pale mauve or bluish, pubescent without, especially on upper part of tube, 30-35 mm long, tube erect, cylindrical, 15 mm long, 1 mm broad at base, throat obconic, 10-13 x 8-11 mm, limb suberect, lobes obovate, 7-8 x 5.5 mm, glabrous, retuse at apex; stamens included, filaments sparsely hirtellous, 3 and 5 mm long, anthers 1.6 mm long, connective conspicuously glandular pubescent; ovary 2.5 mm high, adpressed puberulous, gray at apex, style white, rose-violet at apex, 25 mm long, sparsely hirtellous at base, lower stigma lobe 1.2 mm long. Capsule tinged with red at apex, clavate, 11 x 3-3.5 x 2 mm, puberulous, stipe 5 mm long, valves 3-4-seeded, dorsally sulcate; seeds dark brown, 2 mm in diam., margin erose.
Life form perennial
Growth form
Growth support -
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Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.4 - 0.75
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Nitrogen fixer -
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Environment

Light -
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Hardiness (USDA) 10-12

Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) 30 - 60
Germination temperacture (C°) 18 - 23
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Optimum temperature (C°) -
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Distribution

Ruellia rubra world distribution map, present in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:54527-1
WFO ID wfo-0001044225
COL ID 4TNHK
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 732478
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Erythracanthus ruber Arrhostoxylum rubrum Ruellia rubra Arrhostoxylum rubrum var. attenuatum Arrhostoxylum rubrum var. glomeruliflorum Arrhostoxylum rubrum var. multiflorum Arrhostoxylum rubrum var. parviflorum Arrhostoxylum rubrum var. pygmaeum