''Ruellia simplex'', the Mexican petunia, Mexican bluebell or Britton's wild petunia, is a species of flowering plant in the family
Acanthaceae
Acanthaceae is a family (the acanthus family) of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in ...
. It is a native of Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. It has become a widespread
invasive plant
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...
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, a ...
, 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 governm ...
is trying to reduce the number of home gardeners who plant ''R. simplex'' by recommending alternatives, especially ''
Silphium asteriscus'', ''
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 i ...
'', ''
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'', but also including some ''R. simplex'' cultivars that are sterile.
References
External links
''Ruellia simplex'' in Florida.Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants.
IPNI Listing
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1902176
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 ...
Plants described in 1870