Above: Wild Petunia off of Bike Path behind Gregory Street in Madison, Wisconsin (6/28/21).
Wild Petunia - Ruellia humilis (Special Concern/Endangered)
Wild Petunia grows from 3"-24" tall. The funnel-shaped lavender flowers are 5-lobed and the flower tube is contracted one third to halfway down its length and becomes very slender, pale greenish and stalk-like.
Blooms late May through early October.
NOTE: Ruellia humilis is designated as a special concern species and is listed as Endangered in Wisconsin. Wild Petunia is increasingly available in the native plant trade and does well in cultivation.
Other names: Hairy Wild Petunia, Fringe-leaf ruellia, Hairy ruellia.
For more information on the Wild Petunia, visit Wikipedia.
Or, visit the UW-Madison Wisconsin Herbarium online virtual flora website page on Wild Petunia.
Or, visit the Wisconsin DNR website page about Hairy Wild Petunia (Ruellia humilis).
Wild Petunia
Ruellia humilis
Above: Wild Petunia off of Bike Path behind Gregory Street in Madison, Wisconsin (6/28/21). Note: The flower tube is contracted one third to halfway down its length and becomes very slender, pale greenish and stalk-like.
Above: Wild Petunia off of Bike Path behind Gregory Street in Madison, Wisconsin (6/30/21).
Above: Wild Petunia off of Bike Path behind Gregory Street in Madison, Wisconsin (7/31/21).
Above: Wild Petunia in UW Arboretum Native Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin (8/02/21).
Above: Wild Petunia (Ruellia humilis) specimen collected in Grant County on September 4, 1997. NOTE: Precise location is blocked out because Ruellia humilis is an endangered species.