Hellenia speciosa

Native from tropical and subtropical Asia to northeastern Queensland, this plant is a rhizomatous perennial herb that can grow about ten feet tall. It occurs in damp open places and lowland forest margins, with leaves arranged spirally along slender stems. White, funnel-shaped flowers emerge between dark red bracts. Their frilled, crepe-like lip is formed from sterile stamens and has a yellow throat. Cultivated as a tropical ornamental, the plant also has food uses: in Sarawak, tender young shoots are stir-fried, and cooked rhizomes are reported to taste bitter and astringent. Its wild populations are classified as Critically Endangered in Singapore. Photographed in Minca, Colombia.