Flower profile

Mexican ruellia

Ruellia simplex

Mexican ruellia (Ruellia simplex) is a low shrub in the Acanthaceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–October across the U.S.

Introduced in the lower 48

Mexican ruellia is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–October.

8states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

10,276U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Florida, Louisiana

Quick look

Ruellia simplex, the Mexican petunia, Mexican bluebell, Britton's wild petunia, or Purple showers, is a species of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae that is native to Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America.
From Wikipedia's article Ruellia simplex, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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 introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 8 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in July–November. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,150 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #98 among the 151 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 419 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #92 among the 154 flowers on our Louisiana list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (548 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Florida	–	July–November	3,150
Louisiana	–	few records (11)	419

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe: Unknown We couldn't find this name in NatureServe Explorer. ^NatureServe
Florida: Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks.

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 edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 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 Mexican ruellia in 8 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Escambia, Franklin, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Orange, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, Sumter.

Louisiana counties with USDA records: Avoyelles, Caddo, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, Rapides, St. Charles, St. Tammany, Terrebonne.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Hawaii: Introduced; Lower 48 states: Introduced; Pacific Basin (excluding Hawaii): Introduced; Puerto Rico: Introduced; U.S. Virgin Islands: Introduced.

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Ruellia brittoniana.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 51 counties across 6 states; the most are in Florida (26), Louisiana (12), Texas (9).

Other Ruellia on Bloomipedia (3): Carolina ruellia, Hairy ruellia, Common wild petunia.

More from the Acanthaceae family (12 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): American water-willow, Chuparosa, Black mangrove, Chinese violet, Thurber's desert honeysuckle, Coral creeper, Sweet clockvine, Squirrel's tail.

More Florida flowers

Black mangrove

Avicennia germinans

Native

🌼 Blooms in FL: April–August

Carolina ruellia

Ruellia caroliniensis

Native

🌼 Blooms in FL: March–May

White beggarticks

Bidens alba

Native

🌼 Blooms in FL: January–March

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile RUCA19.
iNaturalist, Ruellia simplex: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Ruellia simplex (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Florida: Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055).
Florida: Florida Noxious Weed List (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-57.007).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Alex Abair via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.