Costus villosissimus

Native from Mexico through Central America into northern South America and parts of the Caribbean, it is a perennial herb with upright, sometimes spiraling stems. Its large leaves grow in spirals, have heart-shaped bases and, like the stems and leaf sheaths, are covered with conspicuous rusty-brown hairs. Dense flowerheads form at the stem tips, enclosed by hairy bracts with green, leaflike tips that spread or curve backward. The large yellow flowers have a broad, spreading lip about four inches long. The plant grows in primary and secondary tropical forests, including riverbank forests and swampy ground, and spreads from underground rhizomes. Photographed in Panama.