Zingiber zerumbet

Native to tropical and subtropical Asia, this perennial herb grows from creeping rhizomes and reaches about 6 feet tall. Its leafy shoots die back during seasonal dormancy and regrow from underground stems. Cone-shaped flower heads rise on separate, shorter stalks; their overlapping bracts turn from green to red as they mature. Small yellowish-white flowers emerge a few at a time. In Hawaii, the aromatic liquid inside mature cones is traditionally used as shampoo and conditioner, and the rhizomes have traditional medicinal uses for indigestion. Introduced by early Polynesian settlers, it is naturalized in Hawaii. Photographed in Florida.