Originates from Madagascar, though it has spread to various parts of the world as a popular ornamental plant. The plant typically thrives in wet and marshy conditions, often found along riverbanks and in freshwater wetlands. It forms tall, slender stems topped with a whorl of leaves that spread out in a manner reminiscent of an umbrella. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Photographed in Bogotá, Colombia.