Ruellia chartacea is a South American shrub with a rather gangly habit, but with very showy red flowers. It doesn't resemble petunias, but borrows its common name from our native prairie petunia (Ruellia humilis), which does look like a lavender petunia. It is also known as red shrimp plant. This species has large, rough-textured opposite leaves along woody stems. Each branch ends with a tuft of bracts that turn red, with funnel-shaped true flowers protruding from the branch tips. These plants are in the acanthus family and not related to true petunias.