Columnea arguta

Native to Panama and Colombia, it is an epiphyte of wet tropical forests, using tree trunks and branches for support. Its long, hanging stems can extend more than six feet. Small, fleshy leaves grow in opposite pairs along the stems. The red to orange-red flowers have long tubes that open into two unequal lips, with a hooded upper lip and yellow markings near the bases of the lobes. Hummingbirds pollinate the flowers. In cultivation, stronger light can increase red pigmentation in new leaves and hairs. Its fruit is a fleshy berry that remains closed when ripe. Photographed in Panama.