''Petunia axillaris'', the large white petunia, wild white petunia or white moon petunia, is an

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year ** Yearbook ** Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...

herbaceous plant in the family Solanaceae, genus ''

Petunia ''Petunia'' is genus of 20 species of flowering plants of South American origin. The popular flower of the same name derived its epithet from the French, which took the word ''petun'', meaning "tobacco," from a Tupi–Guarani language. A tende ...

''. It is native to temperate

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

. The plant's flowers, the only white ones found in the ''Petunia'' genus, are 3 to 7 cm long. The commonly-grown garden petunia is a hybrid of ''P. axillaris'' and '' P. integrifolia''.

Subspecies

''P. axillaris'' has three subspecies: '' P. a. axillaris'', '' P. a. parodii'', and '' P. a. subandina''. ''P. a. axillaris'' and ''P. a. parodii'' are found in the flat parts of the

Pampas The Pampas (from the qu, pampa, meaning "plain") are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Córdoba; all of Uruguay; and Brazi ...

, while ''P. a. subandina'' is found in the highlands near the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

References

axillaris {{Solanales-stub