Tettavia

Tettavia is a fictional genus of flowering plants introduced for this article. In the imagined flora of the Ravinia archipelago, it represents a small group of herbaceous perennials that thrive in cool, damp forest understories and along mountain streams.

Description: Species in the genus have opposite, simple leaves with pointed tips and a short petiole. They produce loosely arranged inflorescences of small, five-petaled flowers. Corolla colors range from pale blue to white in most taxa, with a tubular upper lip and a three-lobed lower lip. Fruits are dry, indehiscent capsules.

Distribution and habitat: Tettavia is described as endemic to the Ravinia archipelago, where species occupy moist, shaded forests at low to mid elevations, often along streams and mossy rocks. The genus is thought to tolerate cool, maritime climates and frequent fog.

Taxonomy and species: The genus contains two described species: Tettavia alba, with white flowers, and Tettavia rubra, with bluish-red flowers. The two differ mainly in corolla color and leaf shape; genetic analysis in the fictional account places them as sister taxa within the hypothetical Ravinaceae.

Ecology and use: Pollination is attributed to native bees and hoverflies. Seed dispersal is primarily by gravity with limited secondary dispersal. In cultivation, Tettavia is sometimes used in ornamental shade gardens within fictional horticultural guides; it requires consistent moisture and partial shade; cold tolerance is modest.