Ruellia patula Jacq.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
By road from Sinamatella to Mandavu Dam, Hwange NP

Photo: Bart Wursten
Picnic site, Khami Ruins.

Photo: Bart Wursten
By road from Birchenough Bridge-Masvingo Rd to Lake Kyle Recreational Park entrance gate

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Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)

Synonyms:	Dipteracanthus patulus (Jacq.) Nees
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Perennial herb, mostly decumbent, sometimes shrubby. Stems up to c. 60 cm long, trailing to erect, almost hairless, velvety or hairy, especially when young, sometimes with stalked glands. Leaves opposite, ovate to more or less narrowly elliptic, 1-6 cm long, sparsely to densely velvety, particularly along the veins, sometimes with scattered capitate glands; petiole 2-32 mm long. Flowers axillary, solitary or 3-5 together. Calyx 3-8 mm long; lobes narrowly triangular. Corolla short-lived, falling in the morning, white, mauve or purple; tube 10-34 mm long, widening at the throat; lobes 4-15 mm, more or less broadly ovate-elliptic; margin entire to crenate-dentate. Capsule clavate, 11-22 mm long, hairless.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	patula: open, extended or spreading, referring to the growth habit.
Habitat:	In a wide variety of grassland, bush, riverine and woodland habitats.
Altitude range:
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Niger, CAR, DRC, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. Also in Egypt, Saoudi-Arabia, Yemen Oman and India.
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:	Zizula hylax (Food plant) Junonia terea elgiva (Food plant)
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Bandeira, S., Bolnick, D. & Barbosa, F. (2007). Wild Flowers of Southern Mozambique Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Mozambique Pages 193 - 194. (Includes a picture). Champluvier, D. (1985). Acanthaceae Flore du Rwanda Spermatophytes Volume III Page 483. (Includes a picture). Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 48. Fabian, A. & Germishuizen, G. (1997). Wild Flowers of Northern South Africa. Fernwood Press, Vlaeburg. Pages 390 - 391. (Includes a picture). Heath, A. & Heath, R. (2009). Field Guide to the Plants of Northern Botswana including the Okavango Delta Kew Publishing Page 332. (Includes a picture). Kirby, G. (2013). Wild Flowers of Southeast Botswana Struik Nature, Cape Town South Africa Page 43. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 15. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 19. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 19. Vollesen, K. (2009). Acanthaceae (Part 1) Flora of Tropical East Africa Pages 206 - 208. (Includes a picture). Vollesen, K. (2013). Acanthaceae (Part 1) Flora Zambesiaca 8(5) Pages 138 - 140. (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Ruellia patula:

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Flora of Botswana: Ruellia patula
Flora of Caprivi: Ruellia patula
Flora of the DRC: Ruellia patula
Flora of Malawi: Ruellia patula
Flora of Mozambique: Ruellia patula
Flora of Rwanda: Ruellia patula
Flora of Zambia: Ruellia patula
Flora of Zimbabwe: Ruellia patula

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Ruellia patula
African Plant Database: Ruellia patula
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Ruellia patula
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Ruellia patula
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Ruellia patula
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Ruellia patula
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Ruellia patula
JSTOR Plant Science: Ruellia patula
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Ruellia patula
Plants of the World Online: Ruellia patula
Tropicos: Ruellia patula
Wikipedia: Ruellia patula