Well here is an interesting species, and one I was very surprised to find in the field with my collaborator and friend Manuel Lujan. We didn’t have high hopes, given its restricted range within Venezuela.

Ruellia saeri is a small statured, high-elevation endemic species to that country, and was named by Silvia Llamoza. I don’t yet know much about its phylogenetic position, but based on its distinctive, decussate floral bracts, I predict relationship to the Ruellia blechum clade. Time will tell.

Wild collected, Venezuela, Tripp & Lujan 514 (RSA-POM); Photo by E. Tripp