A tropical plant native to Central and South America is not only a favorite among hummingbirds and butterflies, but is also beloved by humans for its luscious red pout, earning the plant the nickname, “hot lips.”
Psychotria elata, a shrub belonging to the Rubiaceae family, boasts a pair of red bracts, or modified leaves with a flower cluster in the center, so closely resembling human lips that the plant could be mistaken for being painted with red lipstick. However, this bright red pout serves a purpose: to attract pollinators, since its small, white, fragrant, star-shaped flowers that emerge from the center of the bracts are not as notable.
