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Ruellia

Plum. ex L. (1753)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Asterids Order: Lamiales Family: Acanthaceae Genus: Ruellia

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Perennial herbs.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite and decussate (pairs of leaves alternating 90 degrees between nodes). Blades lanceolate to ovate or cordate. Blades with abundant cystoliths. Margins repand–crenate or entire. Petiolate or sessile. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in terminal cymes or panicles or (R. prostrata) solitary in the leaf axils; each flower subtendedby 2 green, linear or (R. prostrota) oblanceolate to ovate bracts Flowers bisexual (perfect). Each subtended by 2 green, linear or (R. prostrata) oblanceolate to ovate bracts. Calyx 5-lobed, the lobes unequal, linear-subulate. Corolla 5-lobed, large and showy, red, purple, blue, or rarely white, funnelform, 2.5–4.5 cm long, the lobes nearly equal and spreading. Stamens 4, in pairs, inserted on the corolla alternate with the lobes, sometimes 1 or more reduced to staminodes; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate, placentation axile; ovules few per cells; style filiform, simple.

Fruit: Capsules with two cells; usually dehiscing explosively; ellipsoid to clavate; smooth externally; 1.4–2.5 cm long. Seeds 4–20; On small hooked stalks (modified funiculus) that ejects the seeds from the capsule; embryos usually large; endosperm absent.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Island Status

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Notes

  • A Greek name originally applied to some other unknown plant species.
  • Description digitized by Pumehana Imada
  • This genus is taxonomically difficult and has often been divided into a number of segregate genera. Named in honor of the early French physician and herbalist, Jean de la Ruelle (1474-1537).

Bibliography

Name Published In: Sp. Pl.: 634 (1753)

Other References

Wagner, W. L., Herbst, D. R., & Sohmer, S. H. (1999). Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai'i, Vols. 1 and 2 (No. Edn 2). University of Hawai'i and Bishop Museum Press.

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
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