Acanthaceae
Ruellia

Ruellia simplex C.Wright

First published in Anales Acad. Ci. Méd. Habana 6: 321 (1870)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Mexico to Tropical America. It is a perennial or subshrub and grows primarily in the subtropical biome. It is has environmental uses and as a medicine.

Descriptions

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean, Caribbean. Elevation range: 10–1500 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Bolívar, Boyacá, Cauca, Quindío.
Habit
Herb.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, shrubland, artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
habano morado, toscana
[UNAL]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology General Habit
An erect herb with purplish stems; leaves 5–12 cm long or more, narrowly acuminate, the cystoliths aggregated beneath to form an irregular zig-zag pattern
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences few- flowered or the flowers sometimes solitary; corolla violet-blue, 4–5 cm long, the tube puberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsules 2–2.5 cm long, glabrous except for a patch of hairs on each side of the beak, about 20-seeded; seeds nearly orbicular, 2–2.5 mm in diameter.
Distribution
Grand Cayman. Native of Mexico, cultivated and naturalised in many warm countries.
Ecology
The Cayman plants were found along sandy roadsides at West Bay.
[Cayman]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 1400 - 1500 m.; Andes.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
[CPLC]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 10 - 1000 m.; Andes, Llanura del Caribe, Valle del Cauca.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
[CPLC]

Uses

Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0