Lost and found: Rediscovery of Ruellia bella Craib (Acanthaceae) after over a century, and first record of this species in Myanmar

Abstract

A recent exploration of the Sagaing Region, Myanmar resulted in the re‐collection of Ruellia bella Craib, a long lost species previously known to be endemic to Thailand that was first described by Craib over 100 years ago. This study reports the first record of the species in Myanmar and presents an amended English description based on our newly collected material, colour photographs to aid accurate identification, and its proposed conservation status. An artificial key to the Ruellia species of Myanmar is provided below.