Ruellia tuberosa L., Acanthaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: bluebell, Daniel's great gun, large bell-flower, minnieroot, popping pod, sheep potato, snapdragon root

French: patate-chandelier, patate-macaque

Samoan: vaouliuli lautele

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Herb with fusiform tuberous roots, widely branched erect stems to 50 cm tall; leaves mostly basal, finely pubescent.  Petioles alate, 1.5 cm long; blades ovate to oblong, 4-6 x 1.5-2.5 cm, base cuneate, apex obtuse, margin undulate, pubescent.  Cymes dichotomous, few-flowered, bracts narrow; calyx lobes linear, 12-20 mm long, hispid; corolla tube abruptly expanded above, 4-6 cm long, purple, lobes suborbicular, 12-15 mm wide.  Capsule subcylindrical, 1.5 cm long, puberulent; seeds 20 or more per locule, orbicular; 2-2.5 mm in diameter"  (Howard, 1989; pp. 380-381).

"Tough-stemmed herb with opposite leaves, large, lavender, campanulate flowers solitary in the axils, and club-shaped capsules" (Whistler, 1988; p. 6).

Habitat/ecology:  "Occasional as a roadside weed in both Samoas" (Whistler, 1988; p. 6).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Florida (US), Greater Antilles, Mexico, Central and South America (Howard, 1989; pp. 380-381).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island		Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 6)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	Tassin, Jacques (2005)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 9) Vouchers cited: Baumann 7424, MacKee 8036, MacKee 11911 Spontané
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 102)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island		Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 6)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 313)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 313)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 313)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 313)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Ruellia tuberosa is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Ruellia tuberosa as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Ruellia tuberosa may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Cardenas, Juan/Reys, Carlos E./Doll, Jerry D./Pardo, Fernando. 1972. Tropical weeds; malezas tropicales, vol. 1. International Plant Protection Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis. 341 pp.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

Howard, Richard A. 1989. Flora of the Lesser Antilles: Leeward and Windward Islands. Vol. 6 Dicotyledoneae-Part 3 Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University. 658 pp.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar. 2003. Report to the Republic of Palau on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 174 pp.

Swarbrick, John T. 1997. Weeds of the Pacific Islands. Technical paper no. 209. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 124 pp.

Tassin, Jacques. 2005. Jacques Tassin (IAC-CIRAD), personal communication.

U. S. Government. 2009. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2009. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Whistler, W. A. 1988. Checklist of the weed flora of western Polynesia. Technical Paper No. 194, South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 69 pp.