Ruellia is a genus of flowering plants commonly known as ruellias or wild petunias. They are not closely related to petunias (Petunia) although both genera belong to the same euasterid clade. The genus was named in honor of Jean Ruelle (1474–1537), 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 (butterflies and moths), typically Nymphalinae and in particular members of their tribe Junoniini, such as the larvae of the banded peacock (Anartia fatima). Nymphalinae using Ruellia as host plants include the common buckeye (Junonia coenia), recorded on R. nodiflora, the lemon pansy (Junonia lemonias), recorded on R. tuberosa, and the malachite butterfly (Siproeta stelenes) and Australian lurcher (Yoma sabina), which are recorded on several species.
Selected species 365 species are accepted. They include:
Ruellia acutangula Ruellia affinis (Schrad.) T.Anderson Ruellia angustior Ruellia asperula Ruellia bahiensis Ruellia blechum L. Ruellia blumei Steud. Ruellia bourgaei Hemsl. Ruellia brevifolia (Pohl) C.Ezcurra – tropical wild petunia, red Christmas pride Ruellia californica Ruellia caroliniensis (J.F.Gmel.) Steud. Ruellia chartacea (T.Anderson) Wassh. Ruellia ciliatiflora Hook. Ruellia currorii Ruellia densa Ruellia devosiana Jacob-Makoy ex E.Morren Ruellia dielsii Ruellia dioscoridis Ruellia dissitifolia Ruellia drummondiana (Nees) A.Gray Ruellia elegans Poir. Ruellia eurycodon Ruellia fulgida Andrews Ruellia geminiflora – ipecacuanha-da-flor-roxa (Portuguese) 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 (Nees) Gower – Christmas pride Ruellia macrophylla Vahl Ruellia makoyana Hort.Makoy ex Closon Ruellia mcvaughii T.F.Daniel Ruellia menthoides Ruellia metziae Ruellia multifolia Ruellia nitens Ruellia noctiflora Ruellia novogaliciana T.F. Daniel Ruellia nudiflora (Engelm. & A.Gray) Urb. Ruellia patula Ruellia paulayana Ruellia pedunculata Ruellia prostrata Poir. Ruellia rasa Ruellia rosea (Nees) Hemsl. Ruellia rufipila Ruellia simplex C.Wright Ruellia spissa Leonard Ruellia stemonacanthoides (Oerst.) Hemsl. Ruellia strepens L. Ruellia trachyphylla Ruellia tuberosa L. – minnie root, fever root, snapdragon root, sheep potato, popping pod, duppy gun, cracker plant (syn. R. picta) Ruellia verbasciformis Ruellia villosa
Uncertain status Ruellia brevicaulis (synonym Dipteracanthus brevicaulis ) – Unplaced Ruellia eriocalyx Ruellia flava – Unplaced Ruellia pohlii (synonym Dipteracanthus 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 (Nees) Ensermu (as R. intrusa Forssk.) Asystasia gangetica subsp. gangetica (as R. zeylanica J.Koenig ex Roxb.) Blepharis ciliaris (L.) B.L.Burtt (as R. ciliaris L. or R. persica Burm.f.) Dyschoriste oblongifolia (Michx.) Kuntze (as R. oblongifolia Michx.) Hemigraphis repanda (L.) Hallier f. (as R. repanda L.) Hygrophila costata Nees et al. (as R. brasiliensis Spreng.) Hygrophila difformis (L.f.) Blume (as R. difformis L. f.) Hygrophila lacustris (Schltdl. & Cham.) Nees (as R. lacustris Schltdl. & Cham.) Hygrophila ringens (L.) R. Br. ex Steud. (as R. ringens L. or R. salicifolia Vahl) Lepidagathis alopecuroidea (Vahl) R. Br. ex Griseb. (as R. alopecuroidea Vahl) Lindernia antipoda (L.) Alston (as R. antipoda L.) Mackaya neesiana (as R. neesiana ) Stenandrium dulce (Cav.) Nees (as R. dulcis Cav.) Strobilanthes anisophylla (Lodd. et al.) T. Anderson (as R. anisophylla Lodd. et al.) Strobilanthes hamiltoniana (Steud.) Bosser & Heine (as R. hamiltoniana Steud.) Strobilanthes tomentosa (as R. tomentosa ) Teliostachya alopecuroidea Nees (as R. alopecuroidea, R. alopecuroides)
See also 21540 Itthipanyanan, an asteroid named after a student who authored an award-winning experiment on the dehiscence and dispersion of Ruellia tuberosa seed pods.
References
External links
Germplasm Resources Information Network: Copioglossa PlantSystematics: Ruellia Tree of Life: Ruellia.