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Family: Acanthaceae (Acanthus family)
Mid-Atlantic bloom time: May - September
Smooth Wild-petunia grows in floodplain forests, alluvial or seepage swamps, riverbanks, and frequently flood-scoured rocky shores. Its leaf petioles are up to 2cm long, and its pale blue-violet flowers typically have very short pedicles. Note that although the stems are smooth or only sparsely hairy, its calyx often is hairy.
It is best distinguished from Carolina Wild-petunia (Ruellia caroliniensis) by its nearly smooth, almost hairless stems (Carolina Wild-petunia has quite hairy stems), its mostly short-stalked flowers (Carolina Wild-petunia flowers are almost stalkless), and its riparian habitat.
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8 June 2023
Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA 
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5 June 2024
Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA 
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11 June 2023
Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA 
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11 June 2023
Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA 
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8 June 2023
Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA 
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9 June 2024
Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA 
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9 June 2024
Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA (short pedicle and somewhat hairy calyx) 
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9 June 2024
Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA (only sparse short hairs on stem) 
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