Rhizomes extensive, 5-15 mm. in diameter; scales coriaceous, red-brown, to 7 cm. long.. Leafy shoots 1.5-4m. tall.. Leaves oblong-elliptic, 30-55 × 6.5-12.5 cm., abruptly acuminate, base cuneate, slightly asymmetric, ± pubescent on the midrib beneath; nerves beneath (20-)24-29 per 5 mm., obscured above by hypodermal sclerenchyma; ligule coriaceous, rounded, 4-10 mm. long; sheaths sulcate with some pitting within the furrows, glabrous.. Inflorescences 4-10-flowered, simple or branched, arising at the base of the leafy shoots; peduncles (10-)30-70 cm. long, erect; basal bracts broadly ovate, 2 × 1.5 cm.; uppermost bracts broadly ovate, 5 × 4 cm., concave, glabrous, emarginate and mucronate, coriaceous with scarious margins.. Calyx spathaceous, 3.5-4.5 cm. long, split 1.5-3 cm. down one side.. Petals red, the posterior broadly ellipsoid, concave, 3.2-4.4 × 1.6-2.2 cm., the laterals narrowly ovate 2-3.5 × 0.5-0.7 cm.. Labellum ± 7.5 cm. long, the free portion 3.8-4.5 × 2.2-2.5 cm., spathulate, decurved, yellow or pale orange.. Free filament ligulate, 2.5-2.9 cm. long; anther 10-14 mm. long, completely dehiscent; apex 3-lobed, the terminal lobe triangular, 2-3.5 mm. long, the lateral lobes subulate, 4-8 mm. long.. Style glabrous or slightly pilose; stigma trumpet-shaped, externally pubescent.. Fruits ovoid to subglobose, 3.2-3.7 cm. in diameter, 7-9.5 cm. long including the persistent calyx.. Seeds ovoid, 4-5 × 2-3 mm., smooth.
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A ginger family plant. It is a herb that keeps growing from year to year. It has stems 2 m high. They are made up of the leaf bases. The rootstock is thick and creeping. It grows in dense stands. The leaves arise in two ranks from underground rhizomes or stems. The leaf blades are 40 cm long by 12 cm wide. The tip narrows to a point. The flower is like a canna but is at the base of the stem. The flower has a protruding lip that is orange tipped with scarlet. The fruit is a narrow egg shape and turns red when ripe. It can be 8 cm long and 3 cm wide. It has a pointed tip. The seeds are oval and 4-5 mm long by 2-3 mm wide. They are smooth.
It is a tropical plant. It grows on the edge of the forest. It is often near the edges of swamps. In Tanzania it grows between 1,000-1,700 m above sea level and in areas with a rainfall between 900-2,200 mm. It does well in sandy clay loam soils.
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Moist shady places in hill savannah. Common in moist areas in forest undergrowth, in riverine vegetation or at swamp edges at elevations of 1,000-1,700 metres in Tanzania.
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