Ruellia Species, Peruvian Wild Petunia, Red Shrimp Plant

I have not grown this plant which is native to Ecuador to Colombia and Brazil and has become naturalized in Puerto Rico. According to m...Read Moreany sources, Ruellia colorata is an often used, however, invalid synonym for Ruellia chartacea which also has these synonyms: Aphelandra colorata, Strobilanthes coloratus). It is also known by these common names: red shrimp plant, peruvian wild petunia, lobster claw and colorama. It is hardy in Zones 10 and 11. It can be trained as a weak climber or grown as shrub. The tubular blooms are golden to pinkish orange and the bracts are scarlet. The leaf veins are often reddish.

This Ruellia is a vining non dense shrub. To achieve fullness of appearance and more of a shrub appearance it needs to be regularly prune...Read Mored. It seems to do best in bright filtered light.