Etlingera elatior (Torch Ginger)

Native from peninsular Thailand through western Malesia, this plant is a large herbaceous perennial that spreads by underground rhizomes. Its leafy shoots can reach about twenty feet tall, with long, smooth leaves arranged in two rows. The apparent stems consist of tightly overlapping leaf sheaths. Egg-shaped flower heads rise on separate stalks and contain fleshy red or pink bracts surrounding small flowers with yellow-edged lips. It is grown as an ornamental and cut flower. In Singapore and Malaysia, young flower heads are sliced into salads and rojak or used to flavor laksa and curries. Photographed in Colombia.