Mexican Ruellia
Ruellia brittoniana
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Native to
- Mexico
- Flowering
- June-October
How to identify Mexican Ruellia
Identify Mexican Ruellia by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a undershrub habit.
- Confirm leaf shape: Lanceolate.
- Confirm leaf surface: Pubescent (softly hairy).
- Confirm flower colour: Purple.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: June-October.
- Confirm it sits within the Acanthaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Mexican Ruellia.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Ruellia brittoniana
- Genus
- Ruellia
- Family
- Acanthaceae
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Native to
- Mexico
- Flowering & fruiting
- June-October
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- LanceolaterecordedLong and narrow, tapering to a point, like a lance head.“Ruellia simplex is an evergreen perennial growing 3 ft (0.91 m) tall, forming colonies of stalks with lance-shaped leaves that are 6 to 12 in (15 to 30 cm) long and .5 to .75 in (1” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- Pubescent (softly hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Mexican Ruellia itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- PurplerecordedPurple or violet
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Mexican Ruellia itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family — flowering plants only.
About Mexican Ruellia
A member of the Acanthaceae family, Mexican Ruellia (Ruellia brittoniana) is a low shrub. It is native to Mexico. Flowering and fruiting run from June to October.
Uses
In practice it is planted as an ornamental.
Acanthaceae
Acanthus family
Mexican Ruellia belongs to the Acanthaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Acanthaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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