Native Plant Database

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Root Type: Fibrous
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Shape: Ovate
Leaf Venation: Pinnate
Leaf Pubescence: Hirsute
Leaf Margin: Entire
Leaf Apex: Acute
Leaf Base: Truncate
Breeding System: Flowers Bisexual
Size Notes: Erect or rarely decumbent.
Leaf: Green
Flower: Flowers 3-7 cm long
Fruit: Capsule brownish to 15 mm
Size Class: 1-3 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Purple
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MD , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , NE , OH , OK , PA , TN , TX , VA , WI , WV
Native Distribution: PA to WI & e. KS, s. to w. NC, AL & TX
Native Habitat: Woodlands edge, Opening, Thickets
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
CaCO3 Tolerance: Low
Conditions Comments: Growth habit is upright to somewhat sprawling. Wonderful addition to a wildflower planting. Blooms in the heat of summer if given a little extra water. Reseeds readily. Larval food plant for the Buckeye and several other butterfly species.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Perennial garden, Blooms ornamental
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Attracts: Butterflies
Larval Host: Buckeye
Nectar Source: yes

Propagation

Propagation Material: Root Division
Description: Stem cutting taken in June or July and treated with hormone give the best results. Hold the rooted cuttings in a cold frame until spring. Seeds are produced in abundance but germination is low.
Seed Collection: Not Available
Seed Treatment: Not Available
Commercially Avail: yes
Maintenance: Maintain moist soil, Fertilize in spring with rose food

From the National Suppliers Directory

According to the inventory provided by Associate Suppliers, this plant is available at the following locations:

Edge of the Woods Native Plant Nursery - Orefield, PA
Oregon Native Plant Nursery - Woodburn, OR
Sunshine Farm & Gardens - Renick, WV
American Native Nursery - Quakertown, PA
Prairie Nursery - Westfield, WI

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Fredericksburg Nature Center - Fredericksburg, TX
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Pineywoods Native Plant Center - Nacogdoches, TX
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX

Bibliography

Bibref 766 - Dale Groom's Texas Gardening Guide (2002) Groom, D.
Bibref 946 - Gardening with Prairie Plants: How to Create Beautiful Native Landscapes (2002) Wasowski, Sally
Bibref 841 - Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (2006) Burrell, C. C.
Bibref 281 - Shinners & Mahler's Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas (1999) Diggs, G. M.; B. L. Lipscomb; B. O'Kennon; W. F...
* The Midwestern Native Garden: Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants An Illustrated Guide (2011) Adelman, Charlotte and Schwartz, Bernard L.
Bibref 328 - Wildflowers of Texas (2003) Ajilvsgi, Geyata.
Bibref 286 - Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country (1989) Enquist, M.

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Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Ruellia humilis in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Ruellia humilis in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Ruellia humilis