YASIN J. NASIR

Annual or perennial herbs, often weak-stemmed and straggling. Leaves entire. Flowers solitary axillary or terminal, funnel-or salver shaped, variously coloured and showy. Calyx 5-partite. Corolla limb broad, 5-lobed. Stamens 5, of which 1 usually sterile.

30-40 species, South America and warmer parts of N. America. Several species and cultivars (single, double and ruffled) are commonly grown in gardens throughout Pakistan. They are probably hybrids (i.e. P. x hybrida Hort. ex. Vilm) involving the species Petunia axillaries Britton', Stern & Poggenb. (white Petunia), Petunia violacea Lindley and Petunia inflate R. E. Fries (violet Petunias). Hybrid forms commonly cultivated have trade names as ‘nana compacta, grandiflora and florapleno’.

Fl. Per.: March-April.