Costus scaber

Native from Mexico through Central America into tropical South America and parts of the Caribbean, it is a perennial herb reaching about ten feet tall. Its leafy stems rise from spreading underground rhizomes, with elliptical leaves arranged in spirals. A row of short, stiff hairs along the upper midrib helps distinguish the species. Dense, upright flowerheads carry overlapping red to orange-red bracts without leaflike tips. Yellow to orange tubular flowers emerge between the bracts, usually one fully open at a time. The fruits are capsules containing black seeds. The plant occurs in humid tropical forests and along forest margins. Photographed in Panama.