Native Plants

Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:

Waitt, Damon E.

Ruellia drummondiana

Ruellia drummondiana (Nees) A. Gray

Drummond's Ruellia, Drummond's Wild Petunia

Acanthaceae (Acanthus Family)

Synonym(s): Dipteracanthus drummondianus

USDA Symbol: rudr

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

The species name of this plant is named for Thomas Drummond, (ca. 1790-1835), naturalist, born in Scotland, around 1790. In 1830 he made a trip to America to collect specimens from the western and southern United States. In March, 1833, he arrived at Velasco, Texas to begin his collecting work in that area. He spent twenty-one months working the area between Galveston Island and the Edwards Plateau, especially along the Brazos, Colorado, and Guadalupe rivers. His collections were the first made in Texas that were extensively distributed among the museums and scientific institutions of the world. He collected 750 species of plants and 150 specimens of birds. Drummond had hoped to make a complete botanical survey of Texas, but he died in Havana, Cuba, in 1835, while making a collecting tour of that island.

From the Image Gallery

11 photo(s) available in 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: Puberulent
Leaf Margin: Undulate
Leaf Apex: Obtuse
Leaf Base: Cuneate
Breeding System: Flowers Bisexual
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Up to about 3 feet tall.
Leaf: Dark-green above.
Flower: Flowers 42 mm long.
Fruit: 1 cm

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Purple
Bloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov

Distribution

USA: TX
Native Habitat: Woodlands' edge, Opening, Prairie, Plains, Meadows, Pastures, Savannas

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil Description: Rocky soils.
Conditions Comments: Drummond's wild petunia grows handsome lavender flowers throughout the summer. Cut back old bloom stalks in the winter. It has taller flowers and is taller than Wild petunia.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Blooms ornamental, Perennial garden
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Attracts: Butterflies
Larval Host: Common buckeye
Nectar Source: yes
Deer Resistant: Minimal

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)

Common Buckeye
(Junonia coenia)

Larval Host

Learn more at BAMONA

Propagation

Propagation Material: Root Division
Maintenance: Maintain moist soil, Fertilize in spring with rose food

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX

Bibliography

Bibref 1186 - Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America (2005) Covell, C.V., Jr.
Bibref 1185 - Field Guide to Western Butterflies (Peterson Field Guides) (1999) Opler, P.A. and A.B. Wright
Bibref 841 - Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (2006) Burrell, C. C.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

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

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-02-24
Research By: TWC Staff, JSC

Go back