HAIRY RUELLIA (Wild Petunia) 



Ruellia humilis Nutt. 



July It is ;i si iniip'ly diviM-se taiiiily. tho Awinthus 



Sands, dry ro.idsidcs l.iinily. Scvcijil iIkmisjiihI years a^o one of its 



iiu'iiil)('is. known oven then as tlu' Acantluis, in- 

 spired the most ornate ot the three types of areliitoetnral eohnnns in 

 ancient Greece, the Corinthian with its ca])ital desiirned after the enning 

 Acanthus leaves. In t'lic I'liiicil Siate> the tainily i< liniiti'd in its num- 

 bers. There is tiie water wiUow with its small orchid-like lh)wers ; tiie 

 Dyschoriste of the st;nthern pine hairens, and tlu' Huellia of Illinois. 

 And here there aiv two Huellias which are patterned alon«r similar lines 

 but grow ill entirely dilVerent haliitals. 



Hairv ruellia is a plant <)t' dry. open praii-ie. Smooth ruellia (HiirJUn 

 sfrepetis) is a jjlant of moist, shady, bottomland woods. Hut i>ach has the 

 typical, opposite, oval leaves and tid)ular. lavender llowers which often 

 are called wild ]ietiinia> beeause of their similarity to th.at popular llower. 



Hairy ruellia grows about a foot high or less and is very hairy. Its 

 leaves are dry; the plant can withstand much heat and dryness without 

 wilting. The llowers spring from the axils of the leaf-pairs, are blue- 

 lavender, and la>t but a day. The .<mooth ruellia (RueUia strepens) is 

 a taller ])lant, often three feet high, with juicy, dark gn-en. smooth leaves 

 and stem, and pink-lavender, itetunia-like llowers springing from the 

 axils of the leaves and lasting but a day. Hairy ruellia is typical of edges 

 of golf courses and diy banks along loails. Smooth ruellia is found in 

 river woodlands and other moist woods with deep sunnner shade. Roth 

 bloom in .Tulv. 



J 90 



