What is this plant, which has a spreading root system and purple, crinkled petunia-like flowers?

Question

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This is a hardy perennial that grows up to 5' tall. It has a spreading root system and purple, crinkled petunia-like flowers. What is it?

Can you please post a photo showing the whole plant & one showing a flower (if possible)... — Mike Perry, Oct 20 '11 at 03:21

score 5 · Accepted Answer · edited Oct 21 '11 at 21:25

5

That could be Mexican Petunia. The flowers are usually purple or pink but also exist in shades of blue and white.

edited Oct 21 '11 at 21:25

Lorem Ipsum

answered Oct 21 '11 at 21:14

Erica

+1 Everything looks good, except the height (Mexican Petunia maxing out @ about 3ft/900mm), but I've learnt that plants don't necessarily obey their "stated" (textbook) sizes... – Mike Perry Oct 21 '11 at 21:31
Mexican Petunia (whether we mean Ruellia cerulea or Ruellia angustifolia) does not appear to be hardy in Pennsylvania. I saw them both listed as zone 8 or higher. Otherwise, it does seem like a good match. Perhaps it gets lots of snow cover where it is growing. – Eric Nitardy Oct 24 '11 at 05:05

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