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Smooth Wild-petunia

Ruellia strepens

Found in calcareous forests and woodlands, rich riparian forests, and fields. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

40
Good

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

Profile 100%

Height
1–3 feet
Spread
1–1.5 feet
Light
Part shade
Soil moisture
Average to moist

Space about 1 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 100 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Bloom
May to October
Fruiting season
Summer

Not yet recorded · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 35 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement.

Forests and woodlands

Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain.
Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 128 animals.

All wildlife of Alabama

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

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Acanthaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5–8
Flower color
Purple
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Summer

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

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “May to October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Purple” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit ends · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth habit · “Single stem” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Hardiness · “Zones 5–8” · Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
  • Height · “1–3 feet” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
  • Light · “Part shade” · Tennessee Smart Yards · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
  • primary_flower_color · “purple” · USDA PLANTS
  • Soil · “moderately wet to medium” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
  • Spread · “1–1.5 feet” · Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
Also known as

Limestone Wild Petunia; Smooth Wild petunia

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG4G5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources