Gen info
- Ruellia is a genus of flowering plants common known as ruellias or wild petunias. It is a genus of about 250 species, distributed in tropical and temperate regions of both hemispheres. They are not closely related to petunias (Petunia) although both genera belong to the same euasterid clade.
- Etymology: The genus name honors Jean Ruelle (1474-1537), herbalist and physician to Francis I or France and translator of several works of Dioscorides. (2) The specific epithet repens derives from Latin, meaning "creeping", referring to the habit of the plant. (4)

Botany
• Herbs 15-50 cm tall, perennial, creeping. Roots lacking tuberlike swellings. Stems almost 4-angled, finely pubescent or glabrescent. Petiole 3-5 mm; leaf blade ovate to linear-lanceolate, 1.4-4 × 0.8-2 cm, thinly papery, both surfaces sparsely strigose, secondary veins 4 or 5 on each side of midvein, base broadly cuneate to rounded, margin subentire, apex acuminate to acute. Flowers axillary, solitary [or clustered]; bracteoles subleaflike, ovate to ovate-oblong, 8-10 mm. Pedicel to 1 mm. Calyx lobes lanceolate, ca. 5 mm, margin sparingly ciliate. Corolla white [or pink to light purple], 1.2-2 cm, outside pilose; tube basally ca. 2 mm wide for ca. 5 mm then ventricose and gradually widened to ca. 5 mm at mouth; lobes ovate, ca. 3 × 3 mm, apex obtuse. Stamens with longer pair ca. 5 mm and shorter pair ca. 2 mm; filaments glabrous; anther thecae ca. 1 mm. Ovary comose; style ca. 1 cm, hirsute; stigma lobes unequal. Capsule brownish yellow, stipitate, ca. 1.2 cm, slightly pilose, 12-16-seeded; septa with attached retinacula remaining attached to inner wall of mature capsule. Seeds discoid, ca. 3 mm in diam., margin with a conspicuous band of appressed hygroscopic trichomes. (Flora of China)

• Growth form: A creeping herb, up to 50 cm tall. Foliage: Opposite, stalked leaves have thin papery leaf blades that are ovate to lance-shaped, 1.4-4 cm long and 0.8-2 cm wide. Flowers: Funnel-shaped flowers are white or pink to light purple in colour,, 1.2-2 cm in diameter. The corolla lobes are ovate in shape, with rounded tips. Fruit: Fruits are capsules that have a slightly hairy exterior, about 1.2 cm long and ripening to brownish yellow. (Flora & Fauna Web) (4)

Distribution
- Native to the Philippines.
- Throughout the Archipelago. In Bohol, Leyte; in Luzon: Bataan, Ilocos Sur, Laguna, Mountain Province, NCR; Mindanao: Davao del Sur, Panay, Sulu Archipelago, Tawi-tawi. (3)
- Low and medium elevation grasslands, thickets, rice paddy embankments.
- Also native to Cambodia, China South-Central, China Southeast, Hainan, Malaya, Myanmar, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam. (1)

Constituents
- No studies on phytoconstituents for this particular species.  Ruellia phytoconstituents include glycosides, alkaloidis, flavonoids, and terpenoids.

Properties
- Species is susceptible to myrtle rust (Austropuccinia psidii).

Parts used
Leaves, whole plant.

Uses
Edibility
- No reports found on edibility.
Folkloric
- No reported folkloric medicinal use in the Philippines.
- In Malaysia, leaf infusion used as natural antiuroliiatic against renal stones. Also used as anodyne o relieve toothache. Dried powdered leaves mixed in warm water consumed by Semang tribe removed kidney stones. Whole plant used for treatment of bronchitis. Pounded leaves used as poultice to treat sore legs, ulcers, and cuts. In China, bruised plants are fried with eggs are eaten for treatment of cough. (5)
- In China, used for treatment of cough and wound healing.
Others
- Landscaping: Ornamental cultivation for parks and gardens, borders, ground cover. (4)
- Butterfly gardens: Used as "host plant" for certain butterfly species. (5)
- Agroforestry: Used for erosion control.

Studies
• No studies found for this species.

Availability
- Wild-crafted.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Ruellia repens / KEW: Plants of the World Online
(2)
Ruellia / Wikipedia
(3)
Acanthaceae: Ruellia repens / Co's Digital Flora of the Philippines
(4)
Ruellia repens / National Parks: FLORA & FAUNA WEB
(5)
LEAF ANATOMY AND MICROMORPHOLOGY OF POTENTIAL MEDICINAL WEED Ruellia repens L. (ACANTHACEAE) FROM TASIK CHINI, PAHANG / Siti Maisarah Zakaria, Che Nurul Aini Che Amri, Noraini Talip, Rozilawati Shahari et al / Malaysian Journal of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, 2021; Special Issue (1): pp 131-142

DOI: It is not uncommon for links on studies/sources to change. Copying and pasting the information on the search window or using the DOI (if available) will often redirect to the new link page. (Citing and Using a (DOI) Digital Object Identifier)