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Ruellia caroliniensis (J.F.Gmel.)Steud.
Carolina Wild Petunia
Hairy Ruellia
Carolina Ruellia
Florida native
A common wildflower of sandhills, flatwoods and hammocks throughout most of Florida. The range extends throughout the southeast coastal states from New Jersey to Texas, plus Oklahoma and east of the Mississippi north into Illinois to Pennsylvania.
Flowers are bluish violet and funnel shaped 2.5-5 cm (1-2 in.) long and sessile. The corolla has five nearly equal sized lobes and four stamens. The leaves are opposite, simple, entire, lanceolate to ovate, 4-10 cm (1.5 - 4 in.) long and tapering to a short petiole. Fruit is a smooth capsule 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cm (0.5 - 0.6 in.) long with brown seeds. Flowers bloom from spring through summer and into fall.
Ruellia caroliniensis is a member of the Acanthaceae - Acanthus family.
Other species of the Ruellia genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Ruellia simplex - BRITTON'S WILD PETUNIA
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Dec 24, 2023
