Acanthaceae

Tropical wild petunia

Ruellia brevifolia (Pohl) C.Ezcurra

Family: Acanthaceae
Genus: Ruellia

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Tropical wild petunia (Ruellia brevifolia) — FlowerPhoto: Richard Fuller, CC0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (2)

Chinese: 短叶芦莉, 美丽芦莉草
English: Tropical wild petunia

Synonyms

Cyrtacanthus corymbosus Mart. ex Nees
Echinacanthus dichotomus Kuntze
Ruellia amoena Nees
Ruellia amoena Nees ex Backer
Ruellia graecizans Backer
Ruellia longifolia (Pohl) Griseb.
Ruellia serratitheca Rusby
Ruellia ventricosa Kunth
Stephanophysum brevifolium Pohl
Stephanophysum longifolium Pohl
Stephanophysum longifolium var. microphyllum Nees
Stephanophysum longifolium var. microphyllum Nees
Stephanophysum macrandrum Bremek.
Stephanophysum ventricosum Nees

Flowers

In flower: February to June (from 120 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Hawaii: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Richard Fuller, CC0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: B. Phalan, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Alix Sanchis, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Oeropium, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Thibaud Aronson, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Yercaud-elango, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Trap Hers, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: alessandradalia, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Yercaud-elango, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Jean Pierre Pons, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: no such thing As a weed, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Dick Culbert from Gibsons, B.C., Canada, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Ruellia

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.