Rediscovery of <i>Strobilanthes pothigaiensis</i> (Acanthaceae) in the Agasthyamalai Hills (Southern Western Ghats, India) After 50 Years

ABSTRACT Strobilanthes pothigaiensis was originally described by Gopalan and Chithra in 2008, but they based the new proposed species on collections made by J. Joseph from Agasthyamalai in 1973. Since then, the species has never been recorded. As part of the ongoing studies on Strobilanthes , we rediscovered this elusive taxon in Agasthyamalai after 50 years. Morphologically, S. pothigaiensis is similar to S. kunthiana from which it differs in having a cylindrical stem with close nodes (vs. quadrangular stem with distant nodes in S. kunthiana ), ovate lamina with an entire margin (vs. elliptic to obovate lamina with serrate margin in S. kunthiana ), narrow spikes (vs. broad spikes in S. kunthiana ), and a glabrous ovary apex (vs. pubescent ovary apex in S. kunthiana ).