Help us maintain this website and keep it free and open for our community of scientists, students, and conservation managers, who depend on it to obtain the most up to date information. Help us save species and restore native ecosystems!

Close

Please scroll to the bottom for more images.
Ruellia succulenta Small
Thickleaf wild petunia

Ruellia succulenta
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley

Family: Acanthaceae

Group: Dicot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Herb

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: Endemic to South Florida.

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status: Rare

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Native

South Florida History and Distribution: This is widespread in South Florida, and most common on the Miami Rock Ridge and in the Big Cypress. It grows in pinelands and prairies which have been subjected to continuous habitat loss and fragmentation outside of Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. Using modern NatureServe criteria, we re-ranked this as Rare in South Florida in July 2018.

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Cultivated

Comments: Visit our Natives For Your Neighborhood website for more information and images.

Synonyms: R. caroliniensis ssp. caroliniensis var. succulenta; R. hybrida, misapplied.

Other data on Ruellia succulenta available from :

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants
Ruellia succulenta has been found in the following 55 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
A.D. Doug Barnes Park Present Native
Babcock Ranch Preserve Present Native
Big Cypress National Preserve Present Native
Bill Sadowski Park Present Native
Boystown Pineland Present Native
Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve Present Native
Camp Owaissa Bauer Present Native
Camp Owaissa Bauer Addition Present Native
Castellow Hammock Park Present Native
Coral Reef Park Present Native
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Present Native
County Line Scrub, Miami-Dade County Present Native
Deering Estate at Cutler Present Native
Eachus Pineland Present Native
Everglades National Park Present Native
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park Present Native
Florida City Pineland Possibly Extirpated Possibly Extirpated
Frog Pond/L-31 N Transition Lands Present Native
Fuchs Hammock Preserve Present Native
George N. Avery Pineland Present Native
Gold Coast Railroad Museum Present Native
Greynolds Park Present Native
Hillsboro Pineland Natural Area Present Native
Ingram Pineland Present Native
Larry and Penny Thompson Park Present Native
Lucille Hammock Present Native
Luis Martinez United States Army Reserve Station, Richmond Pine Rocklands Present Native
Matheson Hammock Park Present Native
National Key Deer Refuge Present Native
Navy Wells Pineland 23 Present Native
Navy Wells Pineland 39 Native
Navy Wells Pineland Preserve Present Native
Ned Glenn Nature Preserve Present Native
Nixon Smiley Pineland Addition Present Native
Nixon Smiley Pineland Preserve Present Native
Northrop Pineland Present Native
Palm Drive Pineland Present Native
Pine Ridge Sanctuary Present Native
Porter-Russell Pineland Present Native
Prairie Pines Preserve Present Native
Quail Roost Pineland Present Native
Rock Pit 39 Present Native
Rockdale Pineland Present Native
Ron Ehmann Park Present Native
Seminole Wayside Park Present Native
Silver Palm Groves Present Native
SOCSOUTH Present Native
Sunny Palms Pineland Present Native
Tamiami Pineland Complex Addition Present Native
The Barnacle State Historic Park Present Native
Trinity Pineland Present Native
Tropical Park Present Native
West Biscayne Pineland Present Native
Yellow Fever Creek Preserve Present Native
Zoo Miami Present Native

Ruellia succulenta has been found in the following 5 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Collier County Native
Lee County Native
Miami-Dade County Native
Monroe County (Keys) Native
Monroe County (Mainland) Native

Ruellia succulenta has been found in the following 5 habitats :
Disturbed Upland
Marl Prairie
Mesic Flatwoods
Pine Rockland
Wet Prairie

All Images:

Ruellia succulenta
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley
Ruellia succulenta
Copyright by: James Johnson, 2014
In habitat, Everglades National Park, Florida
Ruellia succulenta
Copyright by: George D. Gann, 2013
In habitat, Miami-Dade County, Florida
Ruellia succulenta
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley
Ruellia succulenta
Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer
Ruellia succulenta
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley
Ruellia succulenta
Copyright by: James Johnson, 2014
In habitat, Everglades National Park, Florida