Pachystachys spicata

Native to the Caribbean and tropical South America, this shrub or subshrub grows in humid tropical habitats. Red tubular flowers cluster into conspicuous spikes above the foliage, with the curved corollas opening into narrow lobes. In Peru, long-tailed hermit hummingbirds pollinate its flowers. Fork-tailed woodnymphs can take nectar by piercing the flower base, bypassing the pollen-bearing parts. Photographed in Colombia.