Heliconia marginata
Native from Costa Rica to southern tropical America, this perennial herb grows from underground rhizomes and can reach about thirteen feet tall. Large, dark green leaves resemble those of bananas. Its hanging flower clusters bear five to fifteen red bracts with yellow margins, arranged in a spiral along a dark red axis. The bracts shelter the smaller flowers and make the plant a striking tropical ornamental. It can be propagated by seed or division. Photographed in the department of QuindĂo, Colombia.