Description: Stems grow to 6ft tall and more and remain evergreen in winter. Old stems which have flowered remain on the clump for a year or two and then wither off. New growths come up in spring from the most prominent eye of the rhizome. There is a wide range of variation both in vegetative and floral characteristics in this species. Some have narrow leaves, some have broad leaves, some have leaves with a reddish tinge on the back. The flowers too range in colour from red to orange- red. The new growths grow fast throughout spring and early summer and around August the magnificent red inflorescence opens up. The flowers attract a particular species of butterfly which feeds on its nectar and helps in the pollination and seed setting.

Habitat: Known from Nepal eastwards through the Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas and Northeast India and Bhutan.