Under Construction

Ruellia humilis clade

Erin Tripp
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Note: this taxon list is still under construction. It does not yet contain all known Ruellia humilis clade subgroups.

Only species that were sampled in Tripp's study (in press) are listed.

Containing group: Ruellia s. l.

Introduction

The Ruellia humilis clade is has been resolved as sister to Euruellia, but this relationships is still tentative and thus is not depicted on the Ruellia s.l. tree. Species in this group differ from those in Euruellia by having reduced inflorescences with subsessile flowers in axillary cymes. They also have slightly clavate capsules (vs. elliptical in Euruellia) that contain fewer ovules. Plants in the R. humilis clade are distributed in the eastern United States, reaching their northernmost limits in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The latter state represents the northernmost distribution of the genus in the western hemisphere, and perhaps the northernmost globally.

Most if not all species in this clade produce cleistogamous (see photo above) in addition to open flowers, either after the regular flowering season, or concurrently. Species sampled in Tripp's study (in press) are listed above, though the group likely includes other species such as Ruellia ciliosa Pursh, and the white-flowered, night blooming Ruellia noctiflora (Nees) A. Gray.

References

Fernald, M. L. 1945. Ruellia in the eastern United States. Rhodora 47: 1-38, 47-63, 69-90.

Long, R. W. 1970. The genera of Acanthaceae in the southeastern United States. J. Arnold Arboretum 51: 257-309.

Tripp, E. A. Evolutionary relationships within the species-rich genus Ruellia (Acanthaceae). Systematic Botany, in press.

Tripp, E. A. 2004. The current status of two rare species of Ruellia (Acanthaceae) in Pennsylvania. Bartonia 62: 55-62.

Wasshausen, D. C. 1998. Acanthaceae of the southeastern United States. Castanea 63: 99-116.

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Ruellia strepens L.
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Identified By Erin A. Tripp
Collector Tripp
Copyright ©
Scientific Name Ruellia caroliniensis
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Body Part flower
Source Ruellia just opening
Source Collection Flickr
Copyright © 2007 Patrick Coin
Scientific Name Ruellia humilis Nutt.
Location Williamson County, Pennsylvania
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Identified By Erin A. Tripp
Collector Tripp
Copyright ©
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Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Erin Tripp at

All Rights Reserved.

Citing this page:

Tripp, Erin. 2007. Ruellia humilis clade. Version 10 April 2007 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Ruellia_humilis_clade/103638/2007.04.10 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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