Heliconia longa

Native from Honduras through Central America to Colombia and Ecuador, it is a large perennial herb that grows from underground rhizomes in wet tropical habitats. Its thick, upright shoots are formed by tightly wrapped leaf sheaths. The long, broad leaves often have a white waxy coating underneath. Its exceptionally long, hanging flower clusters carry red bracts along a wavy central axis, with yellow tubular flowers partly concealed inside. The clusters can persist for months. It is cultivated as a tropical ornamental. Photographed in Floridablanca, Colombia.