''Ruellia simplex'', the Mexican petunia, Mexican bluebell or Britton's wild petunia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae. It is a native of Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. It has become a widespread invasive plant in
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, where it was likely introduced as an
ornamental Ornamental may refer to:
*Ornamental grass, a type of grass grown as a decoration
*Ornamental iron, mild steel that has been formed into decorative shapes, similar to wrought iron work
*Ornamental plant, a plant that is grown for its ornamental qua ...
before 1933, as well as in the eastern Mediterranean, South Asia and other parts of the eastern hemisphere.
Taxonomy and synonyms
''Ruellia simplex'' C.Wright is the oldest and accepted name for this species, which has been variously called ''Ruellia angustifolia'' (Nees) Lindau, ''Ruellia brittoniana'' Leonard, and ''Cryphiacanthus angustifolius'' Nees, among several synonyms. The genus is named after French botanist
Jean Ruel
Jean Ruel (1474 – 24 September 1537), also known as Jean Ruelle or Ioannes Ruellius in its Latinised form, was a French physician and botanist noted for the 1536 publication in Paris of ''De Natura Stirpium'', a Renaissance treatise on botany.
...
, while the specific name refers to the simple, not compound leaves.
Description
''Ruellia simplex'' is an evergreen perennial growing tall, forming colonies of stalks with lance-shaped leaves that are and wide. Trumpet shaped flowers are metallic blue to purple, with five petals, and wide. There is a dwarf variety that is only tall.
Distribution
''Ruellia simplex'' is native to Mexico, the West Indies, western Bolivia, southwestern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina. It has been widely used as an ornamental plant and has escaped from cultivation in the United States, Australia and parts of Asia, as well as several Pacific Islands. It has become invasive in some of these areas, forming dense, single-species stands of vegetation which threaten native plants. It is mainly a plant of wet places such as ditches, pond verges, lakesides and marshes, but can survive in drier conditions.
Control
The University of Florida's
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is a teaching, research and Extension scientific organization focused on agriculture and natural resources. It is a partnership of federal, state, and county governmen ...
is trying to reduce the number of home gardeners who plant ''R. simplex'' by recommending alternatives, especially ''
Silphium asteriscus
''Silphium asteriscus'', commonly called starry rosinweed, is an herbaceous plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the eastern United States, from Oklahoma and Texas east to Florida and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvani ...
'', ''
Sisyrinchium angustifolium
''Sisyrinchium angustifolium'', commonly known as narrow-leaf blue-eyed-grass, is a herbaceous perennial growing from rhizomes, native to moist meadow and open woodland. It is the most common blue-eyed grass of the eastern United States, and is ...
'', ''
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
''Stachytarpheta jamaicensis'' is a species of plant in the family Verbenaceae, native throughout the Caribbean, including Florida. It has many common names including blue porterweed, blue snake weed, bastard vervain, Brazilian tea, Jamaica verv ...
'', ''
Stokesia laevis
''Stokesia'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae, containing the single species ''Stokesia laevis''. Common names include Stokes' aster and stokesia.
File:Dwarf Mexican Petunia or Katie Pink or Katie Ruellia -- Ruellia simplex.jpg, ''Dwarf Mexican Petunia or Katie Pink or Katie Ruellia -- Ruellia simplex''
File:Wild Petunia -- Ruellia Simplex.jpg, Wild Petunia—Ruellia Simplex
File:Ruellia simplex in Kadavoor.jpg, ''Ruellia simplex'', pink
File:Ruellia simplex at Kadavoor.jpg, ''Ruellia simplex'', white
File:紫花蘆利草 20190805080221 03.jpg, ''Trumpet shaped flowers''
File:紫花蘆利草 20190805080221 01.jpg, '' Leaves and stem ''
File:Flowers - Mexican Petnuia - Plant with blooms.jpg, Blooms often fall within hours.
simplex
In geometry, a simplex (plural: simplexes or simplices) is a generalization of the notion of a triangle or tetrahedron to arbitrary dimensions. The simplex is so-named because it represents the simplest possible polytope in any given dimension. ...