I met this charming small red flower on the rainforest floor in Paraty, close to a river in Brazil.
It reminds me on a Penstemon flower..

Maybe someone knows more?
Thank you!

I'm 98% positive that this is a Gesneriad...gong through pics to see if I can find out which one.

I agree with Lee Anne, definitely a Gesneriad, possibly Sinningia, but which one?

Here is a wonderful website devoted to flowers of Brazil:
brazilplants.com

There are some great photo's at that site Lee Anne, thanks for the link ... looking at all of those beauties makes me want to grow Gesneriads again!

I thought it might be Sinningia harleyi: http://www.gesneriads.ca/sinni... but the flower is definitely different and after comparing a lot of photo's I'm not convinced it's Sinningia. The flower in Myriam's photo has more of a bell shape. I think it's definitely a Gesneriad, I'm just not sure which one.

Thank so much Lee Anne and Lin! It definitely looks like a Gesneriad! I am not familiar with these..
Thanks for the links too, It has resemblance to Sinningia harley indeed, so we're on the right track..
Brazilplants.com will be useful as I have more to ID!

My guess would be a Ruellia of some sort, maybe Ruellia brevifolia/Ruellia graecizans.

Very Pretty!

I'm sure you're right Danita, no doubt it is Ruella ! Both Ruella brevifolia and graecizans are native to Brazil, they look identical to me when googling their pics on the web, so I better keep it as Ruellia sp.
Thank you!

Good job Danita!

Myriam: Ruellia brevifolia is the correct name, R. gracizans is a Synonym: http://www.itis.gov/servlet/Si...



hmm ... I don't know why it won't link to the correct page but if you type Ruellia brevifolia into that little blank box it will take you to the correct page

Ah, no wonder they looked identical!
Thanks Lin for clearing that!

A list of Ruellia found in Brazil.. this doesn't look like Ruellia brevifolia to me.


http://translate.google.co.uk/... Ruellia adenocalyx Lindau

Acanthaceae Ruellia adenostachya Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia affinis (Schrad.) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia amapensis Wassh.
Acanthaceae Ruellia amplexicaule (Nees) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia angustiflora (Nees) Lindau ex Rambo
Acanthaceae Ruellia angustior Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia asperula (Mart. ex Ness) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia bahiensis (Nees) Morong
Acanthaceae Ruellia beyrichiana (Nees) S.Moore
Acanthaceae Ruellia blanchetiana (Moric.) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia blechum L.
Acanthaceae Ruellia brachysiphon (Nees) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia brevicaulis (Nees) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia brevifolia (Pohl) C.Ezcurra
Acanthaceae Ruellia bulbifera Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia capitata Rizzini
Acanthaceae Ruellia cearensis Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia chamaedrys (Nees) Angely
Acanthaceae Ruellia chrysantha Mildbr.
Acanthaceae Ruellia ciliatiflora Hook.
Acanthaceae Ruellia consocialis Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia costata (Nees) Hiern
Acanthaceae Ruellia curviflora Nees & Mart.
Acanthaceae Ruellia densa Hiern
Acanthaceae Ruellia devosiana Jacob-Makoy ex E.Morren
Acanthaceae Ruellia diffusa Nees
Acanthaceae Ruellia dissitifolia (Nees) Hiern
Acanthaceae Ruellia elegans Poir.
Acanthaceae Ruellia epallocaulos Leonard ex C.Ezcurra & Wassh.

Acanthaceae Ruellia eurycodon Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia exserta Wassh. & J.R.I.Wood
Acanthaceae Ruellia geminiflora Kunth
Acanthaceae Ruellia glischrocalyx Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia hapalotricha Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia helianthema (Nees) Profice
Acanthaceae Ruellia herbstii (Hook.) Hiern
Acanthaceae Ruellia hygrophila Mart.
Acanthaceae Ruellia hypericoides (Nees) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia incomta (Nees) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia inflata Rich.
Acanthaceae Ruellia japurensis Mart. ex Nees
Acanthaceae Ruellia kleinii C.Ezcurra & Wassh.
Acanthaceae Ruellia laxa (Nees) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia longiflora Hort. ex Lindl.
Acanthaceae Ruellia macrantha (Mart. ex Ness) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia magniflora C.Ezcurra
Acanthaceae Ruellia makoyana Jacob-Makoy ex Closon
Acanthaceae Ruellia menthoides (Nees) Hiern
Acanthaceae Ruellia morongii Britton
Acanthaceae Ruellia multifolia (Nees) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia multifolia (Nees) Lindau var. multifolia
Acanthaceae Ruellia multifolia var. viscossisima (Nees) C.Ezcurra
Acanthaceae Ruellia neesiana (Mart. ex Ness) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia neowedia (Nees) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia nitens (Nees) Wassh.
Acanthaceae Ruellia nitida (Nees) Wassh. & J.R.I.Wood
Acanthaceae Ruellia nobilis (S.Moore) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia ochroleuca Mart. ex Nees
Acanthaceae Ruellia paniculata L.
Acanthaceae Ruellia pedunculosa (Nees) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia portellae Hook.
Acanthaceae Ruellia proxima Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia puri (Mart. ex Ness) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia rasa Hiern


Acanthaceae Ruellia reitzii Wassh. & L.B.Sm.
Acanthaceae Ruellia riedeliana Profice
Acanthaceae Ruellia rubiginosa (Nees) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia rubra Aubl.
Acanthaceae Ruellia rufipila Rizzini
Acanthaceae Ruellia salviifolius (Nees) Profice
Acanthaceae Ruellia serrana Profice
Acanthaceae Ruellia sessilifolia (Nees) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia silvaccola (Mart. ex Ness) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia simplex Wright
Acanthaceae Ruellia solitaria Vell.
Acanthaceae Ruellia splendidula (Nees) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia sprucei Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia subringens (Nees) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia subssessilis (Nees) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia tarapotana Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia trachyphylla Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia verbasciformis (Nees ex Mart.) C.Ezcurra & Zappi
Acanthaceae Ruellia villosa (Nees) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia viscidula (Mart. ex Ness) Lindau
Acanthaceae Ruellia yurimaguensis Lindau

Wow! That is a lot!
A pity Flora do Brasil gives no pictures of the plants..
I googled a lot of them but many have no pictures on the web..
I will keep this one as Ruella sp.
Thanks Janet!