Palicourea tomentosa (Hot Lips)

Native to Argentina Northeast, Belize, Bolivia, northern Brazil, southeastern Brazil, and west-central Brazil and nearby regions, this is a shrub in the Rubiaceae family. This species, commonly known as hot lips is a tropical American shrub distributed from Mexico and Central America into northern South America. Its most conspicuous feature is a pair of thick, velvety red bracts that surround the much smaller true flowers. The white flowers are tubular and grouped tightly at the center of the bracts, creating a marked contrast with the red surface. The dense hairs on the bracts and stems help distinguish it from similar-looking relatives. Photographed in Colombia.