Ruellia colorata is a spectacular flowering shrub that belongs to the Acanthaceae family and same genus of another flowering shrub, Ruellia brittoniana. It is native to Brazil and is well suited to growing in tropical Singapore. Not widely planted in Singapore at present, one can visit HortPark to take a look at this plant. A colony of this plant can be seen being grown just behind the black metal gates that lead to the gardening hub of Singapore.
It is known via a range of common names which include colorama, wild petunia and lobster claw. For those of us who have seen its flowers, one would feel that the last common name - lobster claw – seems to fit the profile of this plant best.
This plant produces striking inflorescences terminally at the tip of each growing point. Each inflorescence is rather large in size and covered with large bracts that are orange-red in colour. Without the need to imagine, each inflorescence resembles a cooked lobster claw.
Similar to the many other ornamental flowerings shrubs from the same family, the true flowers of this plant peek out from the back of each bract but are rather short-lived. The enduring beauty of inflorescences is due to the durability of the floral bracts. Ruellia colorata have leaves that are glossy and lanceoate in shape with a distinct sharp tip.
Despite its beautiful flowers, Ruellia colorata can be a difficult candidate to manage in a landscape. This plant is a scandent shrub and adopts a trailing growth habit. It sheds its lower leaves after some time which reveals an unsightly tangled mess of stems at the base of the plant. Hence it is essential to prune back this plant after each flowering. This operation will encourage the plant to produce side shoots which will help to maintain a bushy growth habit.
Ruellia colorata is a candidate that can be planted in a semi-shaded location where it can receive some filtered sunshine. I read before on a website that it can be grown in shade outdoors! In HortPark, this shrub is grown under canopy of a taller tree and seems to perform relatively well and flowers.
Like many other woody flowering shrubs, Ruellia colorata should be planted in a well-draining location with fertile soil that is kept moist at all times. It benefits from having a layer of compost as mulch around the root zone which keeps the roots cool and moist, and decomposes to release nutrients over time.
Note that this plant does not tolerate waterlogged conditions. After pruning, fertilise plant with a balanced fertiliser to encourage vigorous growth of foliage. Once the foliage is well developed, add a dose of flowering fertilizer to promote the production of the lobster claws.
