Heliconia scarlatina

Native to parts of Panama, Colombia, and Peru, this perennial heliconia grows in humid tropical and Andean forest habitats. Leafy shoots arise from underground rhizomes and carry broad blades on long leaf stalks. Inflorescences feature red to terracotta bracts that shelter pale flowers with greenish margins, accompanied by contrasting yellow to green ovaries and flower stalks. Bract color and the orientation of the flowering structure vary. Photographed in Colombia.