Ruellia Cernua

''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.

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 (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

* ''Ruellia acutangula''
* '' Ruellia affinis'' (Schrad.) Lindau
* ''Ruellia angustior''
* ''Ruellia asperula''
* '' Ruellia blumei'' Steud.
* ''Ruellia bourgaei '' Hemsl.
* '' Ruellia brevicaulis''
* ''Ruellia brevifolia'' (Pohl) C.Ezcurra – tropical wild petunia, red Christmas pride
* ''Ruellia capitata''
* '' Ruellia caroliniensis'' (J.F.Gmel.) Steud.
* '' Ruellia cernua'' Roxb.
* '' Ruellia chartacea'' (T.Anderson) Wassh.
* '' Ruellia ciliatiflora'' Hook.
* ''Ruellia ciliosa'' Pursh
* '' Ruellia colorata'' (might belong in ''R. trivialis'')
* ''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'' ( Portuguese)
* ''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 kuriensis''
* ''Ruellia macrantha'' (Nees) 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'' (Engelm. & A.Gray) Urb.
* ''Ruellia patula''
* ''Ruellia paulayana''
* '' Ruellia pedunculata''
* ''Ruellia pohlii''
* '' Ruellia portellae'' (might belong in ''R. trivialis'')
* ''Ruellia prostrata'' Poir.
* ''Ruellia puri''
* ''Ruellia rasa''
* '' Ruellia rosea'' (Nees) Hemsl.
* ''Ruellia rufipila''
* '' Ruellia salicifolia''
* ''Ruellia simplex'' C.Wright
* ''Ruellia sindica''
* '' Ruellia spissa'' Leonard
* '' Ruellia squarrosa'' (Fenzl) Cufod.
* ''Ruellia stemonacanthoides'' (Oerst.) Hemsl.
* ''Ruellia stenandrium''
* ''Ruellia strepens'' L. (might belong in ''R. trivialis'')
* ''Ruellia tomentosa''
* '' Ruellia trachyphylla''
* ''Ruellia trivialis''
* '' Ruellia tuberosa'' L. – minnie root, fever root, snapdragon root, sheep potato, popping pod, duppy gun, cracker plant (syn. ''R. picta'')
* ''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'' (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.)
*''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.)
*'' 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''Classification: ''Ruellia''
species list at USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Tree of Life: ''Ruellia''.

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1280862

Acanthaceae genera