Trimezia martinicensis

Native to tropical Central and South America and the Lesser Antilles, this perennial herb grows from underground rhizomes and forms clumps of flat, sword-shaped leaves. Yellow flowers have three broad outer segments and smaller inner segments marked with brown bands. Individual flowers are short-lived and develop at the tips of long stalks rising from the plant’s base. It is grown in garden borders. New plants can be raised from seed or by division. Photographed in Peru.