Petunia

Plant Characteristics

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Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	xx"xx" is not in the list (sun, part-sun, shade, unknown) of allowed values for the "Exposure" property.
Features:	✓	xx"Xx" is not in the list (evergreen, deciduous, flowers, fragrance, edible, fruit, naturalizes, invasive, foliage, birds, ...) of allowed values for the "Features" property.
Sunset Zones:		xx

Scientific Names

Petunia is a, trumpet shaped, widely-cultivated genus of flowering plants of South American origin, in the family Solanaceae. Most of the varieties seen in gardens are hybrids (Petunia x hybrida). A wide range of flower colors, sizes, and plant architectures are available in both the hybrid and open-pollinated species.

Species

• Petunia axillaris
• Petunia integrifolia
• Petunia x hybrida Wave Pink Hybrid
• Petunia grandiflora Park's Whopper Hybrid Burgundy

Cultivation

When growing petunias, it's best to leave them in full sunlight and only water them when their soil is dry to the touch. Although generally grown as annuals (at least in temperate areas), they are perennial in warm climates (roughly zone 9 or warmer).

Propagation

Petunias are generally insect pollinated with the exception of P. exserta, which is a rare, bird pollinated species. Most petunias are diploid with 14 or 18 chromosomes and are interfertile with other petunia species.

Pests and diseases

The foliage of Petunias are sometimes eaten by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Dot Moth and Hummingbird hawk moth.

Uses

Decorative flowering plant.

History

Purple Petunias

The popular flower got its name from French, which took the word petun 'tobacco' from a Tupi-Guarani language.

The origin of P. x hybrida is thought the be a hybridaization between P. axillaris and P. integrifolia. Many open-pollinated species are also gaining popularity in the home garden.

Taxonomy

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Some botanists place the plants of the genus Calibrachoa in the genus Petunia. Botanically speaking, tobacco, tomato, potato, and petunia are all in the family Solanaceae.

References

• Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881926248
• American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432