Ruellia, Red Elegans

Ruellia elegans, or Red Ruellia, is native to Brazil with bright red trumpet shaped flowers that appear on 6 to 8 inch wand-like stems. The upper petals tend to flare out and back, while the lower one curls out and downward. The blooms attract butterflies and hummingbirds and last from May until frost. The plant tolerates a light frost, but dies back at about 28 degrees. It forms a 12 inch high by 24 inch in diameter mound of soft green, semi-fuzzy foliage. The plant is described as an annual, but because it reseeds and spreads rapidly, it is sometime thought of as a perennial.