Limestone ruellia

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Limestone ruellia

Limestone ruellia

Limestone ruellia

Limestone ruellia sepals

Limestone ruellia leaves

Limestone ruellia flower

Limestone ruellia flower and leaves

Limestone ruellia

Limestone ruellia flower and leaves

Morphology

Stem

Erect, slender, simple or sparingly branched, somewhat 4-sided, glabrous or more commonly with 2 narrow, longitudinal lines of pubescence.

Leaves

Opposite, simple, stalk 1/8 to 4/5 inch long, ovate-lanceolate, 2 to 6.4 inches long, 3/5 to 2.4 inches wide, thin, glabrous to sparsely hairy; veins conspicuous on underside; margins entire to remotely shallow-toothed, fringed with minute hairs; tip tapering to sharp point or occasionally blunt.

Inflorescence

1-3 flowers clustered in leaf axils; flowering stalks to 2.5 inches long; subtended by 2 leaf-like bracts, lanceolate to obovate, .4 to 1.6 inch long, glabrous to hairy.

Flower

Calyx lobes 5, linear-lanceolate, .4 to .8 inch long, 1/12 to 1/6 inch wide, glabrous or hairy; corolla funnel-shaped, 1.2 to 2.8 inches long, .8 to 1.6 inch wide, 5-lobed, blue, lavender or dark violet, rarely white, inner surface often with dark lines; stamens 4, in 2 groups; stigma hook-shaped.

Fruit

Capsule, club-shaped or spindle-shaped, .4 to .8 inch long, tan to brown, glabrous, longer than or equaling calyx; seeds 6-20, round, 1/10 to 1/8 inch in diameter, flattened, occasionally sparsely hairy.

Ecology

Habitat

Dry open woods. thickets, stream banks, pond and lake margins; requires partial shade; well-drained rocky soils.

Distribution

East 1/2 of Kansas

Additional Notes