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I bought two types of plants. One is Blue Daze, but I can't remember the name of the other. It looks like a larger version of Blue Daze, but it has a different name. Anyone recognize it? Another image to follow.
Dear podster, my friend Brinda from the coleus group, and plantfreak78: the plant does look a great deal like Mexican Petunia or Ruellia in my photo, but I had it ID'd and it is definitely Browallia speciosa. Locally it is known as Marine Bells, but I notice on Dave's they call it sapphire flower. It's like Blue Daze on steroids. Quite hardy and pretty.
I'm not sure who else IDed that plant for you and I'm sorry if this sounds rude but they are incorrect. Browallia has a much more pointed leaf, well-defined leaf veination and pointed petals as demonstrated in these pictures: [HYPERLINK@www.em.ca] Ruellia squarrosa has rounded petals and a more linear leaf with a rounded tip. Also, when view from overhead the foliage on a single stem often lines up to form a distinctive X shape which you can see in your picture and on one of JamesCO's pictures on this page [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
If you need a second opinion I'd post your picture on the plantID forum where someone is sure to confirm that it's Ruellia.
plantfreak and others- I certainly have an open mind on the ID of my plant. When you said ruellia, I assumed you meant what we call Mexican petunia, but that is ruellia brittoniana, so my plant may indeed be a ruellia. Let me get some better, more close-up photos and we can work on this some more. I like to know what I have. Our Mexican petunia can be several feet tall, or a variety that gets less than a foot tall called Katie, if I remember correctly. It has flowers very similar to those on my plant.
Yep, it's still Ruellia squarrosa :) And actually, if you took one of your flowers and compared it to one from a R. brittoniana I think you'd see how similar they are. The flowering parts are, after all, the primary way that botanists seperate the different genera. Think about all the Salvias out there and how different their foliage can be. But they all have that two-lipped flower structure.
Yes, I knew the one on the right was a Ruellia. I was unsure which cultivar. I appreciate the correct ID on it Plantfreak78. I will add this ID to this Ruellia in my journal. Thank you.
Incidently, Dp72 ~ although I love this plant, it will spread freely by seed. The seed pods, when dried, will pop and spray seeds. You will have volunteers in unexpected places. The PlantFile warnings are correct.
