Ruellia costata is one of the many species that have perplexed me for over a decade, and it might have remained as such had we not punched it west towards Mato Grosso near the end of our Brazil fieldtrip (I love your enthusiasm for life, Nico!!!). Not far from Reserva Biológica da Serra Dourada, we found Ruellia costata. It wasn’t in flower, but its vegetative and fruiting morphology readily confirm it to species. Note the extremely long peduncles… typical of many species in the Physiruellia clade.

I feel so fortunate to be alive and experiencing the incredible world of Ruellia diversity.

Wild collected, Brazil, Erin Tripp #5952, w/ Nico Medina (COLO); Photos by Erin Tripp