Ruellia simplex – Desert Petunia

Larval Host Plant

Zizula hylax – Tiny Grass Blue
Junonia almana – Peacock Pansy
Junonia iphita – Chocolate Pansy
Junonia lemonias – Lemon Pansy

bv699 , bv698

Other notes

Natural History: A perennial sub-shrub from Mexico naturalized in India. Blue, white and pink varieties of flowers are available (Flowers of India, 2022).

 

Notes: This plant has been recorded as a new larval host for Junonia almana – Peacock Pansy by Priyanka Kumari from Mumbai, Maharashtra in 2020.

 

References:

Nitin, R., V. C. Balakrishnan, P. V. Churi, S. Kalesh, S. Prakash, and K. Kunte. 2018. Larval host plants of the butterflies of the Western Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 10:11495–11550. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3104.10.4.11495-11550.

WFO (2022): World Flora Online. Accessed on 21 Dec 2022. URL: http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000400995.

Flowers of India (2022). Accessed on 21 Dec 2022. URL: http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Desert%20Petunia.html.

Page citation

Kumari, P., P. Churi and N. Kawthankar. 2023. Ruellia simplex C.Wright – Desert Petunia. In Kunte, K., S. Sondhi, and P. Roy (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 4.12. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/ruellia-simplex, accessed 2023/03/23.