Dimerocostus strobilaceus

Native to Central America and tropical South America, it is a large perennial herb that grows from underground rhizomes in wet forests and beside streams. Its stout stems carry long, pointed leaves arranged in a spiral, often clustered toward the top. The upright, cone-like flowering spikes have overlapping green, leathery bracts. Large white flowers emerge from tubular green calyces that often extend beyond the bracts. A broad, spreading floral lip is tinted yellow to orange toward its center. The fruits are two-chambered capsules containing numerous glossy seeds, each with a small white fleshy appendage. Photographed in Colombia.