Heliconia reptans

Native to Colombia, this perennial herb grows in Andean forests and produces upright, banana-like leafy shoots. It is recorded at about 3,100 to 3,600 feet in Colombia. Plants reach roughly four to seven feet tall. The flowering structure develops near the base of the false stem and hangs or lies close to the ground, giving the species a distinctive low flowering habit. A red flowering axis supports red bracts that shelter yellow flowers. It is grown as a tropical ornamental. Photographed in Colombia.