· gardeners appreciate ruellia x brittoniana for its extended bloom time, resistance to pests, and tolerance of environmental extremes. Purple, petunia-like flowers appear continuously throughout the warm season on broad clumps of tall, upright, woody stems with narrow, elongated, dark green leaves. Plant towards the rear of a border or as an accent in a mixed container. · although they resemble petunias with their cheery purple petals, mexican petunias, also called ruellia simplex or ruellia brittoniana , are perennials —true petunias are usually grown as annuals. Across (5 cm), from midsummer to fall. The plucky plants have vibrant lavender blooms, green leaves, and stems that can range from green to purple. One accepted botanical name is ruellia brittoniana , but youll also see it called r. · mexican petunia is not a real petunia, but its flower looks like one. Versatile and adaptable to varied conditions. Ruellia brittoniana (mexican petunia) is a shrubby perennial boasting a profusion of petunia-like, vibrant lavender-blue flowers, 2 in. The origin of this flowering dicotyledonous plant is mexico. The most common, oldest, and most widely accepted name given to ruellia brittoniana is ruellia simplex. Borne solitary or in clusters at the tips of purplish stems, they rise above the foliage of lance-shaped, glossy green leaves. · plant in full sun for best blooms but partial shade may be fine for this flower. Malacosperma and r. Fertilize lightly each spring if growing in a perennial zone. Keep the soil moist, but this is not a plant that needs monitoring for moisture. It performs admirably in areas with poor soil, high heat, humidity, and even short droughts. Use rich, well-draining soil to plant mexican petunia.
