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Sandhills Wild-petunia

Ruellia ciliosa

Found in longleaf pine sandhills, particularly in loamy, somewhat moist swales. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

42
Good

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 71%

Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Bloom
May to September

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

Height: NC species account not read yet.

Spread, life cycle and leaves: no source found yet.

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 14 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

4CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Ruellia

  • Junonia coeniaCommon Buckeye
  • Anthanassa texanaTexan Crescent
  • Tripudia rectangulaWild Petunia Seed Moth, Rectangular Tripudia
  • Hileithia aplicalis
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
13BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Ruellia

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Flies 1
  • Anthrax sinuosa

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other wasps 1
  • Leionotus dorsalis

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Adult butterflies / moths · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Acanthaceae

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Ruellia caroliniensis ssp. ciliosa; Sandhills Wild petunia

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG5T3T5 [G3G5]
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources