Tha Hla

Tha Hla was a Burmese botanist.

He began a career in Burmese forestry around 1934. In 1951, Hla met Francis Kingdon-Ward and Chit Ko Ko, and conducted further research into plants of Burma. They set off on an expedition, and reach Hkinlum in several days in the alpine region, where they would expect to find hardy plants. During the expedition, Hla was said to have gotten lost while searching for new species of Rhododendron. Several people went to search for him, and preparations begun for a full search in the morning, but he returned late at night. During the trip, he was also reported to have got a twig in his eye, which caused him severe pain for several days. Nevertheless, the expedition was a sucess. The team had collected 37 species of Rhododendrons, along with 100 other species and 1400 herbarium specimens, including the lily, Lilium arboricola, and the honeysuckle, Lonicera hildebrandiana.