Wild Petunia (Ruellia Caroliniensis)
ID: #796023
Description
Wild Petunia is a native wildflower found throughout Florida in native woodlands. Although the common name is petunia, the flowers in the Ruellia genus are not true petunias, which are members of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family. They spread and are known as strong growers under adverse conditions. It likes dry, sandy soils to moist soils, full sun to partial shade and is easy to grow - a very adaptable groundcover and does well when mixed with other low-growing flowers. This 12"-tall plant, remains low-growing and has light green leaves that are medium in texture. Blue or violet flowers appear on this perennial in the spring, summer and fall. Flowers only remain open for a day, but plants have a high yield and a long blooming period. These flowers are showy, and their nectar is appealing to various species of butterflies and is a host plant for the White peacock and Common Buckeye butterflies. Caution : Many big box garden centers sell the highly invasive Mexican petunia ( Ruellia simplex ). This species is a FLEPPC-listed Category I invasive species , which means it has escaped cultivation and is known to alter native plant communities by displacing native species. (See fleppc.org for more information and to see a list of Category I and II species ). Mexican petunia spreads quickly and does not respond well to herbicides. You can help control the spread of this invasive species by not planting it in your landscape and instead planting the native Ruellia species.
Price
$10.00
Last Updated
10 August 2026, 10:47 UTC
Store Information
physical store
Location
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Wild Coffee (Psychotria nervosa)
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Aquatic Milkweed (Asclepias perennis)
$1.25
Aquatic milkweed ( Asclepias perennis ) a great evergreen Florida native perennial milkweed, but quite a different species from Swamp Milkweed ( A. incarnata) . It can survive lower amounts of direct sunlight than our other native species, while also handling full sun. It can become lankier during the season but a terrific native as it is available all year to our beloved Monarchs. Aquatic milkweed can tolerate 2-3 months of drought in our Florida sandy soils but also does very well in extremely wet and nearly underwater conditions during the Florida rainy seasons. A mature height in the late spring can reach about 2 - 3' feet. Each is densely covered by lance-shaped deep green leaves approximately 3-5 inches in length. I have witnessed during a few years of milkweed research studies in Central Florida this plant flowers and pushes seed pods in Florida winter months. The flowers are bright white with an occasional hue of pale pink before opening. This wildflower is commonly propagated for home gardeners and is quite hardy. It is also a good specimen for container growing. I plant it in shady areas around my yard that get a mix of filtered sun and shade as well as some areas that are full sun - the plants do well in pretty much any condition Florida seems to throw at it. If you have sprinklers hitting it regularly, it will receive enough water from my experience of having it side by side with 7 other milkweed species. This one is my favorite since it grows year round in Florida!