Reddish Candleflower

This large flower grows up to 4.9 feet (1.5 meters) tall. Its red stem is very thick, and the large, green and yellow-green leaves are stiff, pointed with smooth edges. Many leaves grow at the base of the stem, and more leaves grow in pairs along the length of the stem.

Each stem splits 6 to 9 times; a single large flower grows at the end of each split. The flowers are 14 cm (5.5 inches) wide, with olive petals on the lower layer and gold petals decorated with blood red dots on the inner layer. The central disk is red. The flower head is shaped like a dish made up of many widely spaced, round-tipped petals. They are very delicate.

It has an intensely strong scent that smells like candle wax, and it has copious amounts of pollen; it can cause severe allergic reactions. It is pollinated by a small species of bird, but is also particularly attractive to bees.