Flower profile
Common wild petunia
Ruellia nudiflora
Common wild petunia is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Texas it's most often seen in bloom in April–September.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Texas
Quick look
Ruellia nudiflora, the violet ruellia or violet wild petunia, is a perennial plant in the acanthus family (Acanthaceae) found in North America. Despite the genus Ruellia being known as the wild petunias, they are not true petunias and are not closely related to them. The species thrives in disturbed areas and can sometimes be considered a weed.
- It belongs to the Acanthaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 4 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Texas. NatureServe
- In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–September. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 9,273 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #61 among the 109 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
Common wild petunia gift ideas
Handmade common wild petunia gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Common wild petunia art print
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Common wild petunia greeting card
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Common wild petunia mug
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Common wild petunia earrings
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Common wild petunia embroidery pattern
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Common wild petunia sticker
When does it bloom?
In Texas, most flowering sightings come in April–September.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Texas
- Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records common wild petunia in 4 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas.
Texas counties with USDA records: Aransas, Austin, Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Brooks, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Cameron, Colorado, Comal, Dallas, DeWitt, Denton, Dimmit, Fayette, Frio, Galveston, Gillespie, Goliad, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Harris, Hays, Hidalgo, Hill, Hood, Jackson, Jefferson, Jim Wells, Johnson, Karnes, Kendall, Kenedy, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Kleberg, La Salle, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Live Oak, Matagorda, McLennan, McMullen, Milam, Montgomery, Navarro, Nueces, Pecos, Refugio, Robertson, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Somervell, Starr, Sutton, Tarrant, Travis, Uvalde, Val Verde, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Washington, Webb, Wharton, Willacy, Williamson, Wilson, Zapata, Zavala.
More Texas flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile RUNU.
- iNaturalist, Ruellia nudiflora: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Ruellia nudiflora (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
- Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Ruellia nudiflora (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Sue Ann Kendall via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.