Commonly known as Mexican petunia, Ruella brittoniana, has become a popular annual in the Midwest, being used as both as a bedding plant and a container accent. The genus name honors Jean de la Ruella (1474-1537) a French herbalist. There are some taxonomic and nomenclature issues, but Ruella brittoniana is the name most commonly used. Many call it Mexican Petunia, but it is not even related to petunias.
Petunias are members of the Solanaceae (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, etc) family, and Reulla is a member of the Acanthaceae (with relatives like shrimp plant or black-eyed Susan vine). The plant’s foliage is deep green with hints of burgundy. The leaves are narrow, opposite, pointed lance shaped, 6″-12″ long, 1/2″ to 3/4″ wide. Stems are strong, semi woody, reaching about 3 feet tall. Blooms are a vibrant purplish blue, trumpet shaped, and 1 1/2″-2″. The flowers are bourne on the tips of the stems.
Each flower bloom lasts only one day, but the succession of non-stop blooms make it a very showy plant. If flowering slows, cut it back to encourage new blooms. Ruella brittoniana is native to Mexico, but is now wildly dispersed through the Southeast United States. (In Florida, where it is a perennial plant, it is considered an invasive plant!) Since it is only hardy thru zone 8, it is an annual plant in Missouri.
As its native roots would imply, this plant tolerates high heat, is drought tolerant, and can endure high humidity. Ruella prefers full sun, but will tolerate shade (it just doesn’t flower as profusely).
Ruella is essentially disease and pest free, so it’s very environmentally friendly. Even better, hummingbirds, butterflies and bumblebees love this plant! Propagation is very easy. Clumps can be divided; stem cuttings easily root in moist soil or sand; and seeds often self sow.
When buying this plant, it’s very common to find only the generic variety. There are a few named varieties available.
- Purple Showers grows 3-4 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide, with dark purple blooms. It will not come true from seed, but will resemble the species.
- Chi-Chi Pink gets 3-4 feet tall, 18″wide and has pink flowers.
- Katie is shorter, only 6-10 inches tall and 12 inches wide, and is available in blue, pink, or white. Discovered by and named for Katie Ferguson of Conroe Texas, this comes true from seed. It is often marketed as a water plant, because it can thrive on the margins of water.
Mexican petunia is a very easy to grow and is a showy accent plant.
Originally posted 2010-04-05 09:00:59. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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