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:	Frequent
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: (metres)
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.
Zimbabwe distribution:	W,C,E,S
Growth form:
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects (whose larvae eat this species):	Zizula hylax (Gaika blue) Precis terea elgiva (Soldier pansy)
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated:	Friday 23 March 2012
Literature:	Fabian, A. & Germishuizen, G. (1997). Wild Flowers of Northern South Africa. Fernwood Press, Vlaeburg. Pages 390 - 391. (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. Vollesen, K. (2009). Acanthaceae (Part 1) FTEA Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Pages 206 - 208. (Includes a picture).

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Other sources of information about Ruellia patula:

Flora of Mozambique: Ruellia patula
African Plant Database: Ruellia patula
Biodiversity Explorer (Biodiversity of southern Africa): Ruellia patula
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Ruellia patula
ePIC (electronic Plant Information Center): Ruellia patula
Flora Zambesiaca web site: Ruellia patula
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) taxonomy for plants report for Ruellia patula
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Ruellia patula
JSTOR Plant Science: Ruellia patula
Kew Herbarium catalogue: Ruellia patula
Tropicos: Ruellia patula
West African Plants database: Ruellia patula