Flower profile

Carolina ruellia

Ruellia caroliniensis

Native in the lower 48

Carolina ruellia is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 7 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–July.

20states

7of our state lists

14,741U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee

Quick look

Ruellia caroliniensis, the Carolina wild petunia, is a wild petunia of the family Acanthaceae native to the southeastern United States. Its native range spans the eastern coast with the northernmost extent reaching New Jersey
From Wikipedia's article Ruellia caroliniensis, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Acanthaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 20 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–October. ^iNaturalist
In North Carolina, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–July. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 4,305 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #54 among the 110 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,023 research-grade sightings of it in North Carolina, ranking #86 among the 111 flowers on our North Carolina list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,786 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #39 among the 111 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist

Carolina ruellia gift ideas

Handmade carolina ruellia gifts from independent makers.

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,506 records)

Bloom time in each of our 7 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Florida	Native	March–October	4,305
North Carolina	Native	June–July	2,023
Georgia	Native	May–July	1,786
Tennessee	Native	June–August	1,284
Alabama	Native	May–August	972
South Carolina	Native	May–July	810
Mississippi	Native	May–August	430

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Florida: Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: S5, secure in Florida. ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
North Carolina: Not listed Not on North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301). NatureServe: S5, secure in North Carolina. ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: S5, secure in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
Tennessee: Not listed Not on Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Tennessee. ^{TN rule 0400-06-02-.04}
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in South Carolina.
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NJ (SH), PA (SX). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

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 Carolina ruellia in 20 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia; District of Columbia.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okaloosa, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, Washington.

North Carolina counties with USDA records: Alamance, Alexander, Bertie, Bladen, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Camden, Catawba, Chatham, Chowan, Cleveland, Columbus, Craven, Currituck, Davidson, Duplin, Durham, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Franklin, Gaston, Granville, Greene, Guilford, Halifax, Harnett, Hertford, Iredell, Jackson, Johnston, Lee, Lenoir, Lincoln, Madison, Martin, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Nash, New Hanover, Northampton, Onslow, Orange, Pasquotank, Pender, Person, Pitt, Polk, Randolph, Richmond, Rowan, Rutherford, Sampson, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Tyrrell, Union, Vance, Wake, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wilson, Yadkin.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Baker, Bartow, Bibb, Bulloch, Calhoun, Camden, Catoosa, Chatham, Chattooga, Clarke, Columbia, Cook, Dade, DeKalb, Decatur, Elbert, Floyd, Forsyth, Franklin, Glynn, Grady, Greene, Harris, Jones, Lincoln, McIntosh, Mitchell, Morgan, Murray, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Screven, Taylor, Upson, Walker, Whitfield, Wilkes.

More Florida flowers

Mexican ruellia

Ruellia simplex

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Black mangrove

Avicennia germinans

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White beggarticks

Bidens alba

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🌼 Blooms in FL: January–December

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile RUCA4.
iNaturalist, Ruellia caroliniensis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Ruellia caroliniensis (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).
North Carolina: North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301).
North Carolina: North Carolina Noxious Weed List (02 NCAC 48A .1702) (the list names any non-native Lythrum; we apply it to purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), which isn't native).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
Tennessee: Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act).
Tennessee: Tennessee Pest Plant List (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0080-06-24-.02).
Alabama: Alabama noxious weeds (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-10-14-.04).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Ruellia caroliniensis (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Becky Dill via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.