Pachystachys lutea (Shrimp Plant)

Native to Peru and northern Brazil, this tropical evergreen shrub has soft stems. Its upright flower spikes have overlapping yellow bracts, modified leaves that surround the true flowers. The white flowers are tubular and two-lipped, with two green anthers held beneath the upper lip. Numerous flowers open sequentially up each spike, while the yellow bracts persist longer than the individual blooms. New flower clusters develop throughout the warm months, and flowering can continue year-round in tropical climates. The species has received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. Photographed in Colombia.