Flower profile

Hairy ruellia

Ruellia humilis

Native in the lower 48

Hairy ruellia is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–September.

25states

4of our state lists

10,374U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma

Quick look

Ruellia humilis is a species of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae. It is native to the eastern United States. It is grown as an ornamental plant.
From Wikipedia's article Ruellia humilis, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Acanthaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 25 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. ^NatureServe
In Missouri, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–September. ^iNaturalist
In Kansas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as purple. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as summer. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 2.6 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 1,227 research-grade sightings of it in Missouri, ranking #51 among the 109 flowers on our Missouri list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 778 research-grade sightings of it in Kansas, ranking #21 among the 109 flowers on our Kansas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 708 research-grade sightings of it in Arkansas, ranking #63 among the 109 flowers on our Arkansas list. ^iNaturalist

Hairy ruellia gift ideas

Handmade hairy ruellia gifts from independent makers.

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (933 records)

Bloom time in each of our 4 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Missouri	Native	June–September	1,227
Kansas	Native	June–August	778
Arkansas	–	May–September	708
Oklahoma	Native	May–September	610

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
Missouri: Not listed Not on Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Missouri. ^{3 CSR 10-4.111}
Kansas: No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe: S5, secure in Kansas.
Arkansas: No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe has no Arkansas rank for it.
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: MD (S1), MI (S1), NC (S1), PA (S1), SC (S1), WI (S2), WV (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

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.

For petsNot well documented

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 hairy ruellia in 25 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Missouri counties with USDA records: Adair, Audrain, Barry, Barton, Bates, Benton, Boone, Buchanan, Butler, Caldwell, Callaway, Camden, Carroll, Carter, Cass, Cedar, Chariton, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cole, Cooper, Crawford, Dade, Dallas, Daviess, DeKalb, Dent, Douglas, Franklin, Gasconade, Gentry, Greene, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Hickory, Holt, Howard, Howell, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Laclede, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Maries, Marion, McDonald, Mercer, Miller, Moniteau, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Nodaway, Oregon, Osage, Ozark, Perry, Pettis, Phelps, Pike, Platte, Polk, Pulaski, Putnam, Ralls, Randolph, Ray, Reynolds, Ripley, Saline, Schuyler, Scotland, Shannon, Shelby, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Francois, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Texas, Vernon, Warren, Washington, Webster, Worth, Wright.

Kansas counties with USDA records: Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Barber, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Cowley, Crawford, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Elk, Ellsworth, Franklin, Geary, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Kingman, Labette, Leavenworth, Lincoln, Linn, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Miami, Montgomery, Morris, Nemaha, Neosho, Osage, Ottawa, Pottawatomie, Reno, Republic, Rice, Riley, Saline, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Sumner, Wabaunsee, Washington, Wilson, Woodson, Wyandotte.

Arkansas counties with USDA records: Arkansas, Ashley, Baxter, Benton, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Hot Spring, Izard, Jefferson, Johnson, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Marion, Miller, Nevada, Newton, Ouachita, Perry, Phillips, Pike, Poinsett, Polk, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, Scott, Sebastian, Sharp, St. Francis, Stone, Union, Washington, Yell.

More Missouri flowers

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Amur honeysuckle

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Mayapple

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Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile RUHU.
iNaturalist, Ruellia humilis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Ruellia humilis (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Missouri: Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants.
Missouri: Missouri noxious weed list (2 CSR 70-45.005).
Kansas: Kansas noxious weeds (K.A.R. 4-8-44, as amended 2026).
Arkansas: Arkansas State Plant Board noxious weeds and prohibited plants (2 CAR § 50-101).
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Ruellia humilis (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Chris Stahl via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.