Ruellia


Ruellia is a genus of flowering plants commonly known as ruellias or wild petunias. They are not closely related to petunias although both genera belong to the same euasterid clade. The genus was named in honor of Jean Ruelle, herbalist and physician to Francis I of France and translator of several works of Dioscorides.
Numerous formerly independent genera are nowadays considered synonymous with Ruellia, including Blechum, Eusiphon, and Ulleria. Acanthopale and Polylychnis are considered a distinct genera.
Ruellias are popular ornamental plants. Some are used as medicinal plants, but many are known or suspected to be poisonous. Their leaves are food for the caterpillars of several Lepidoptera, typically Nymphalinae and in particular members of their tribe Junoniini, such as the larvae of the banded peacock. Nymphalinae using Ruellia as host plants include the common buckeye, recorded on R. nodiflora, the lemon pansy, recorded on R. tuberosa, and the malachite butterfly and Australian lurcher, which are recorded on several species.

Selected species

365 species are accepted. They include:
  • Ruellia acutangula
  • Ruellia affinis T.Anderson
  • Ruellia angustior
  • Ruellia asperula
  • Ruellia bahiensis
  • Ruellia blechum L.
  • Ruellia blumei Steud.
  • Ruellia bourgaei Hemsl.
  • Ruellia brevifolia C.Ezcurra - tropical wild petunia, red Christmas pride
  • Ruellia californica
  • Ruellia caroliniensis Steud.
  • Ruellia chartacea Wassh.
  • Ruellia ciliatiflora Hook.
  • Ruellia currorii
  • Ruellia densa
  • Ruellia devosiana Jacob-Makoy ex E.Morren
  • Ruellia dielsii
  • Ruellia dioscoridis
  • Ruellia dissitifolia
  • Ruellia drummondiana A.Gray
  • Ruellia elegans Poir.
  • Ruellia eurycodon
  • Ruellia fulgida Andrews
  • Ruellia geminiflora - ipecacuanha-da-flor-roxa
  • Ruellia hapalotricha
  • Ruellia helianthema
  • Ruellia humilis Nutt. - fringeleaf wild petunia, plains petunia, fringeleaf ruellia, hairy ruellia, low ruellia, zigzag ruel
  • Ruellia hypericoides
  • Ruellia incomta
  • Ruellia inundata
  • Ruellia insignis
  • Ruellia jaliscana Standl.
  • Ruellia jussieuoides
  • Ruellia kuriensis
  • Ruellia macrantha Gower - Christmas pride
  • Ruellia macrophylla Vahl
  • Ruellia makoyana Hort.Makoy ex Closon
  • Ruellia mcvaughii T.F.Daniel
  • Ruellia menthoides
  • Ruellia multifolia
  • Ruellia nitens
  • Ruellia noctiflora
  • Ruellia novogaliciana T.F. Daniel
  • Ruellia nudiflora Urb.
  • Ruellia patula
  • Ruellia paulayana
  • Ruellia pedunculata
  • Ruellia prostrata Poir.
  • Ruellia rasa
  • Ruellia rosea Hemsl.
  • Ruellia rufipila
  • Ruellia simplex C.Wright
  • Ruellia spissa Leonard
  • Ruellia stemonacanthoides Hemsl.
  • Ruellia strepens L.
  • Ruellia trachyphylla
  • Ruellia tuberosa L. - minnie root, fever root, snapdragon root, sheep potato, popping pod, duppy gun, cracker plant
  • Ruellia verbasciformis
  • ''Ruellia villosa''

    Uncertain status

  • Ruellia brevicaulis – Unplaced
  • Ruellia eriocalyx
  • Ruellia flava – Unplaced
  • Ruellia pohlii – Unplaced
  • ''Ruellia stenandrium''

    Formerly placed here

Numerous plants, mainly in the family Acanthaceae, are former members of Ruellia. Some examples are:
  • Asystasia gangetica subsp. micrantha Ensermu
  • Asystasia gangetica subsp. gangetica
  • Blepharis ciliaris B.L.Burtt
  • Dyschoriste oblongifolia Kuntze
  • Hemigraphis repanda Hallier f.
  • Hygrophila costata Nees et al.
  • Hygrophila difformis Blume
  • Hygrophila lacustris Nees
  • Hygrophila ringens R. Br. ex Steud.
  • Lepidagathis alopecuroidea R. Br. ex Griseb.
  • Lindernia antipoda Alston
  • Mackaya neesiana
  • Stenandrium dulce Nees
  • Strobilanthes anisophylla T. Anderson
  • Strobilanthes hamiltoniana Bosser & Heine
  • Strobilanthes tomentosa
  • Teliostachya alopecuroidea Nees