• Photo by: Susan Trammel, Paynes Prairie FNPS
  • Photo by: Mark Hutchinson, Hernando Chapter, FNPS
  • Photo by: Mark Hutchinson, Hernando Chapter, FNPS
  • Photo by: John Lampkin, Nature Coast FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Ruellia caroliniensis

Carolina wildpetunia, wild petunia

Nomenclature

Common Name:

Carolina wildpetunia, wild petunia

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Ruellia caroliniensis

Family:

Acanthaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

1.0 to 2.5 ft tall by .75 to 2.0 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

blue,lavender

Fruit Color:

green,brown

Phenology:

Winter dormant Blooms early spring to late-summer.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Groundcover along with other low-growing wildflowers.

Considerations:

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Availability:

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Propagation:

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Light:

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Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Somewhat long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

7.9 to 8.5

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B,11

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Caterpillars

Larval host for Common Buckeye ( Junonia coenia ) and White Peacock ( Anartia jatrophae ) butterflies.





Attracts many pollinators.

Native Habitats:

Dry mesic hammocks, flatwoods, sandhill, disturbed areas.

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Wild petunia's flower only last for a day, but they have a very long flowering period, starting in early spring and going strong through the fall. Please use this Florida native instead of its widely-sold relative, the invasive Mexican petunia.