Ruellia strepens L.

Limestone wild petunia (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Lamiales > Acanthaceae > Ruellia

Characteristics

Stems 3–10 dm, minutely puberulent in narrow strips on 2 opposite sides; petioles 5–20 mm; main lvs thin, ovate or lance-ovate, 5–15 cm, acute or short-acuminate, abruptly narrowed or cuneate at base, glabrous or sparsely strigose; fls from a few nodes near the middle of the stem, 1–3, subtended by 2 ovate leafy bracts, on an axillary common peduncle 5–15 mm or terminal on a leafy axillary branch; cal-lobes lanceolate, 1–2 cm × 2–4 mm; cor 3.5–5 cm, the slender tube about equaling the throat; fr glabrous; 2n=34. Moist woods; N.J. to O. and Io., s. to S.C., Ala., and Tex. May– July. Cleistogamous forms with smaller fls in cymose clusters from several axils occur occasionally.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support -
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 1.1
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 0.2
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Light 3-6
Soil humidity 2-5
Soil texture 1-2
Soil acidity 5-9
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 5-7

Usage

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

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) 30 - 60
Germination temperacture (C°) 18 - 23
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -29
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Ruellia strepens habit picture by Emma Emma Swendsen (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Ruellia strepens leaf picture by Natures Guy (cc-by-sa)
Ruellia strepens leaf picture by Emma Emma Swendsen (cc-by-sa)
Ruellia strepens leaf picture by Natures Guy (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Ruellia strepens flower picture by Tim Tim (cc-by-sa)
Ruellia strepens flower picture by Reuben Arkins (cc-by-sa)
Ruellia strepens flower picture by E Hermes (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Ruellia strepens world distribution map, present in United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:54614-1
WFO ID wfo-0001044236
COL ID 6WXBR
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 636308
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Dipteracanthus oblongatus Dipteracanthus micranthus Dipteracanthus strictus Ruellia strepens f. cleistantha Hygrophila illinoiensis Dipteracanthus strepens var. strictus Ruellia strepens f. strepens Dipteracanthus strepens var. calycinus Dipteracanthus strepens var. clandestinus Dipteracanthus strepens var. dillenii Ruellia strepens