Pitcairnia punicea

Native from southeastern Mexico to Guatemala, this perennial bromeliad grows in wet tropical habitats. Its soft leaves have small spines toward their tips and dense white scales beneath. Bright red flowers rise on stalks taller than the foliage, with yellow anthers contrasting with the red flower clusters. In Belize, it is locally rare and forms small colonies on rocks along cave-fed streams between about 65 and 400 feet above sea level. Photographed in Florida.