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Two days ago I saw this flower lining the walls of a well-fenced house. It was as if the flower was inviting me. I could not resist its call. I stepped closer, leaning forward then heard my daughter’s little voice say, “Daddy, come and snap this one, it’s beautiful.”

What she said on second thought intrigued me. The thought that she was able to appreciate beauty translated into a glimmer of joy. I concluded that the ability to see beauty in the delicate nature of flowers and resisting the thought of plucking it is a step towards maturity.

The flower my daughter was asking me to snap was identified by Google Lens as Mexican Petunia also known as Ruellia simplex.

Personally, I think this plant should be easy to identify from these distinct features I observed. It has vibrant purple, trumpet-shaped blooms with 5 soft, ruffled-edged petals. This flower grows on square-ish stems forming colonies of stalks with willow-like green lance-shaped leaves

_{^{Some species have white, blue, pink or purple flowers}}

You are likely to see fresh flowers on this plant because it blooms every day, and each flower has only 24 hours to live before it dies off. With a regular supply of nectar, "Ruellia simplex is a bee’s favourite bar". But don't be fooled by its name, the simplex only applies to its unbranched structure above ground. Ironically simplex has a complex underground rhizome system that can take over your garden in a short time.

To survive difficult times, Ruellia simplex uses what I would call the "Aloe vera tactic" stores water in its succulent stem to survive drought, but it also hides an additional secret, its underground rhizomes protect it from bushfires, clearing and droughts. Can you now see why some people say Ruellia simplex is impossible to kill?. It has a backup plan underground.

Besides its use to beautify our surroundings, Ruellia simplex has other known uses. Because its underground rhizome roots grip the soil like rebar, this makes it an excellent option if you are fighting a war against erosion in your garden. Beekeepers love it, because it's like a bee bar, a constant source of nectar, a new flower every day. Ruellia simplex has also been used in traditional medicine. Though what it treats and how it is used lies beyond the scope of this post.

Conclusion

It's true that not every plant was meant to serve as food, but beyond its beautiful looks, Ruellia simplex has a place in traditional medicine. For Ruellia simplex, strength is not in the flowers we see, but in the underground rhizomes we don't see.

@dequeen
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Media Credit

Composer	@manuelhooks
Captured by	@manuelhooks
Captured with	Galaxy-A15
Location	Uyo, Nigeria
Posting Date	Sat. 6th June
	(@) 2026

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