Acanthaceae is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in temperate regions. The four main centres of distribution are Indonesia and Malaysia, Africa, Brazil, and Central America. Representatives of the family can be found in nearly every habitat, including dense or open forests, scrublands, wet fields and valleys, sea coast and marine areas, swamps, and mangrove forests.
Ruellia is a genus of flowering plants commonly known as ruellias or wild petunias. They are not closely related to petunias (Petunia) although both genera belong to the same euasterid clade. The genus was named in honor of Jean Ruelle (1474–1537), herbalist and physician to Francis I of France and translator of several works of Dioscorides.
Ruellia simplex, the Mexican petunia, Mexican bluebell or Britton's wild petunia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae. It is a native of Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. It has become a widespread invasive plant in Florida, where it was likely introduced as an ornamental before 1933, as well as in the eastern Mediterranean, South Asia and other parts of the eastern hemisphere.
Ruellia macrantha, or Christmas pride, is a species of flowering plant native to the cerrado vegetation of Brazil. It is often used as an ornamental plant. This plant is cited in Flora Brasiliensis by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius.
Acanthopale is a plant genus of shrubs or subshrubs in the Acanthaceae plant family. The genus name is based on the classic Greek words for thorn ákantha and stake palum. Some species in the genus are cultivated as ornamental plants.
Euphorbia kuriensis is a species of plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is endemic to Yemen. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.
Gymnocarpos kuriensis is a species of plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is endemic to Yemen. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and rocky areas.
Polygala kuriensis is a species of plant in the family Polygalaceae. It is endemic to Yemen, where it is found on the island of Socotra. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and rocky areas.
Portulaca kuriensis is a species of flowering plant in the purslane family, Portulacaceae, that is endemic to Yemen. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and rocky areas.
Ruellia currorii is a species of plant in the family Acanthaceae. It is found in Angola and Namibia. Its natural habitat is cold desert.
Ruellia dielsii is a species of plant in the family Acanthaceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
Ruellia dioscoridis is a species of plant in the family Acanthaceae. It is endemic to Yemen. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.
Ruellia insignis is a species of plant in the family Acanthaceae. It is endemic to Yemen.
Ruellia paulayana is a species of plant in the family Acanthaceae. It is endemic to the island of Socotra in Yemen.
Ruellia tuberosa, also known as minnieroot, fever root, snapdragon root and sheep potato, is a species of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae. Its native range is in Central America but it has become naturalized in Africa, South and Southeast Asia.
Phaulopsis imbricata is a shrub native to South Africa. It is also known as Himalayan ruellia. Leaves are opposite, one larger than the other in each pair, usually asymmetrical at the base. Phaulopsis imbricata is a good fodder, the young leaves are eaten as a vegetable and the plant-ash in oil is rubbed into scarifications on the back for rheumatism in Tanganyika. The flowers have an unpleasant smell. It is filed as near-threatened by the IUCN. It is one of the larval host plants of the butterflies great eggfly, tiny grass blue, brown pansy, soldier pansy and marbled elf.
Strobilanthes japonica is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant from Asia, one of around 350 plants of the genus Strobilanthes. The 20–50 cm ornamental plant is cultivated in Japan and China, and blooms in autumn with 1.5 cm purple to white funnel-shaped flowers.
Ruellia strepens, commonly known as limestone wild petunia, limestone ruellia, smooth wild petunia, or wild petunia is a species of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae, native to warmer parts of the central and eastern United States. A perennial herb, it prefers to grow in moist to mesic, partly shady areas such as streamsides and bottomland forests. In the garden it is hardy to USDA zone 5, and can tolerate nearly full shade.
