Ruellia caroliniensis (J.F. Gmel.) Steud.
Carolina wild petunia, thickleaf wild petunia
Carolina wild petunia is a North American native found in the southeastern United States. Although these flowers resemble petunias, they aren’t related to petunias at all. They can also be confused with Mexican petunias, a larger and very aggressive invasive species.
Plants: 1–2½′ (30–76 cm) high, and 9–24″ (22–60 cm) around.
Leaves: Dense opposite, oval or ovate leaves.
Flowers: Purple or lavender, with a slender corolla (throat) and five overlapping petals. The throat is very deep, about the same as the flower’s diameter. They appear from late spring to early fall.
Fruits: Oval seed capsules, each with about 5 seeds, form at the bases of the flowers, turning brown before exploding to release the seeds.
Habitats: Sandy uplands, flatwoods, hammocks, and open woods.
Online References:
Www.fnps.org (PDF)
4/14/2015 · Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park, Florida · ≈ 6 × 7″ (15 × 18 cm) 
4/14/2015 · Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park, Florida · ≈ 4½ × 6″ (12 × 14 cm) 
4/14/2015 · Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park, Florida · ≈ 8 × 7″ (20 × 17 cm) 
4/14/2015 · Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park, Florida · ≈ 6 × 6″ (14 × 15 cm) 
4/14/2015 · Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park, Florida · ≈ 8 × 7″ (19 × 18 cm) 
4/14/2015 · Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park, Florida · ≈ 7 × 5″ (17 × 13 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Lamiales | Aromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary |
| Family | Acanthaceae | Acanthus family, of tropical herbs and shrubs |
| Genus | Ruellia | Named for physician and botanist Jean Ruel, whose translation of Dioscorides, Materia medica, written in 65 AD, became the basis for modern pharmaceutical and herbal writing |
| Species | caroliniensis | Of or from Carolina |
Ruellia caroliniensis description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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