Nina wrote:
> Hi and thanks for your post. This is very interesting, because we have an
> entry for Ruellia
>
>
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plan ... bQil9GQyM8
> but we have given it a green traffic light, and I'm wondering if we should
> look at it again.
>
> Your first link didn't work for me but the second one did, and although the
> Ruellia tuberosa leaf extract had the lowest mortality rate with
> mosquitoes, it was still 50% (if i remember correctly). We don't menton
> Ruellia tuberosa specifically in our entry, but we do list Ruellia spp.,
> which means all the species in the genus, so R. tuberosa would be included.
> The genus Ruellia has over 75 species in it, and I've just done some more
> research and found a source that says that while most species are not
> harmful, several species are suspected to have poisonous components (but I
> can't at the moment find which species these might be). I have checked the
> usual poison databases (FDA, ASPCA, California toxic plant list, PFAF,
> etc.) and Ruellia is not listed on any of them as being toxic, and in fact
> is listed as being safe on many of them (especially Ruellia brittonianna).
>
> Hopefully Lin has been looking at this too, and we'll get back to you as
> soon as we have done some more research.
>
> Nina