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.
Apart from the numerous formerly independent genera nowadays considered synonymous with Ruellia, the segregate genera Blechum, Eusiphon, Polylychnis and Ulleria are often included in Ruellia. Acanthopale, however, is considered a distinct genus.
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
- Ruellia acutangula
- Ruellia affinis Lindau
- Ruellia angustior
- Ruellia asperula
- Ruellia blumei Steud.
- Ruellia bourgaei Hemsl.
- Ruellia brevicaulis
- Ruellia brevifolia C.Ezcurra - tropical wild petunia, red Christmas pride
- Ruellia capitata
- Ruellia caroliniensis Steud.
- Ruellia cernua Roxb.
- Ruellia chartacea Wassh.
- Ruellia ciliatiflora Hook.
- Ruellia ciliosa Pursh
- Ruellia colorata
- Ruellia currorii
- Ruellia densa
- Ruellia devosiana Jacob-Makoy ex E.Morren
- Ruellia dielsii
- Ruellia diffusa
- Ruellia dioscoridis
- Ruellia dissitifolia
- Ruellia drymophila Hand.-Mazz.
- Ruellia elegans Poir.
- Ruellia eriocalyx
- Ruellia eurycodon
- Ruellia flava
- Ruellia formosa
- Ruellia fulgida Andrews
- Ruellia geminiflora - ipecacuanha-da-flor-roxa
- Ruellia glanduloso-punctata
- Ruellia hapalotricha
- Ruellia helianthemum
- Ruellia humilis Nutt. - fringeleaf wild petunia, plains petunia, fringeleaf ruellia, hairy ruellia, low ruellia, zigzag ruel
- Ruellia hypericoides
- Ruellia incomta
- Ruellia insignis
- Ruellia jaliscana Standl.
- Ruellia macrantha Gower - Christmas pride
- Ruellia kuriensis
- Ruellia macrantha Gower - Christmas pride
- Ruellia macrophylla Vahl
- Ruellia makoyana Hort.Makoy ex Closon
- Ruellia mcvaughii T.F. Daniel
- Ruellia menthoides
- Ruellia neesiana
- Ruellia nitens
- Ruellia noctiflora
- Ruellia novogaliciana T.F. Daniel
- Ruellia nudiflora Urb.
- Ruellia patula
- Ruellia paulayana
- Ruellia pedunculata
- Ruellia pohlii
- Ruellia portellae
- Ruellia prostrata Poir.
- Ruellia puri
- Ruellia rasa
- Ruellia rosea Hemsl.
- Ruellia rufipila
- Ruellia salicifolia
- Ruellia simplex C.Wright
- Ruellia sindica
- Ruellia spissa Leonard
- Ruellia squarrosa Cufod.
- Ruellia stemonacanthoides Hemsl.
- Ruellia stenandrium
- Ruellia strepens L.
- Ruellia tomentosa
- Ruellia trachyphylla
- Ruellia trivialis
- Ruellia tuberosa L. - minnie root, fever root, snapdragon root, sheep potato, popping pod, duppy gun, cracker plant
- Ruellia verbasciformis
- Ruellia villosa
- Ruellia vindex
- Ruellia zeylanica
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
- Stenandrium dulce Nees
- Strobilanthes anisophylla T. Anderson
- Strobilanthes hamiltoniana Bosser & Heine
- Teliostachya alopecuroidea Nees
