Dustin's Blog — Hygrophila difformis

Read Time: 5 minutes Hygrophila History, Biology, and Taxonomy - AKA how Petunias, Australia, and Diabetes are Related Taxonomy Hygrophila (sometimes called swampweed) is the more popular of the two aquatic genuses in the Acanthaceae family, which makes it a "cousin" to other commonly kept plants like Acanthus (Bear's Breeches), wild petunias (Ruellia), and the polka dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya). There are about 100 Hygrophila species currently recognized. Botanists and taxonomists are in the process of re-evaluating how to define the genus and its species, though, so the number might change in the near future. History (Or, how I came...