Petunia

Petunia Juss.

Petunia, as currently circumscribed (i.e. including Calibrachoa Llave et Lex.; see Mabberley 2008) is a genus of ca. 40 species from tropical and warm-temperate South America (predominantly Brazil). The generic limits of Petunia are somewhat controversial. Ando & al. (2005) transferred most species formerly included in Petunia to the genus Calibrachoa (including C. parviflora, formerly recorded as a wool alien in the Vesdre valley).

Petunia (especially in its strict sense) is popular in cultivation. Two species and (at present especially) their hybrid are much grown as ornamentals (Shaw 2000).

Corolla limb small, 25-35 mm long, violet or purple. Capsule ca. 6-7 mm across === 1. Petunia integrifolia

Corolla limb 40-120 mm long, variously coloured (white, yellow, pink, red, purple or violet, often stripped or double). Capsule ca. 10-15 mm across === 2. P. xpunctata

Additional alien: Petunia parviflora Juss. (syn. : Calibrachoa parviflora (Juss.) D'Arcy) (S-Am., wool alien).

Literature:

Ando T., Kokubun H., Watanabe H., Tanaka N., Yukawa T., Hashimoto G., Marchesi E., Suárez E. & Basulado I.L. (2005) Phylogenetic analysis of Petunia sensu Jussieu (Solanaceae) using chloroplast DNA RFLP. Annals of Botany 96: 289-297.

Fries R.E. (1911) Die Arten der Gattung Petunia. Kungliga Svenska Vetenskapsakademiens Handlingar 46: 1-72.

Jäger E.J., Ebel F., Hanelt P. & Müller G. (eds.) (2008) Rothmaler Band 5. Exkursionsflora von Deutschland. Krautige Zier- und Nutzpflanzen. Springer Verlag, Berlin: 880 p.

Mabberley D.J. (2008) Mabberley’s plant-book (3th ed.). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: XVIII + 1021 p.

Shaw J.M.H. (2000) Petunia. In: Cullen J. & al. (eds.), The European Garden Flora, vol. 6. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 261-262.

Van Ooststroom S.J. & Reichgelt Th.J. (1966) Solanaceae-Orobanchaceae. In: van Ooststroom S.J. & Van der Veen R. a.o. (eds.), Flora Neerlandica, vol. 4(2). KNBV, Amsterdam: 65 p.

Wijsman H.J.W. (1982) On the inter-relationships of certain species of Petunia. I. Taxonomic notes on the parental species of Petunia hybrida. Acta Bot. Neerl. 31(5/6): 477-479.

Taxonomic name: 
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith