Dichorisandra thyrsiflora (Blue Ginger)

Native to eastern Brazil, this plant is an upright perennial herb with thickened roots and leafy stems. Its glossy, lance-shaped leaves spiral around the stems and have smooth margins. Dense, branched flower clusters develop at the tips. Each blue to violet flower has three petals with pale bases and six yellow stamens whose anthers release pollen through small pores. Rounded to ellipsoid seed capsules contain seeds with white fleshy coverings. Its common name refers to its resemblance to ginger in foliage and growth habit. Photographed in Colombia and Florida.