the bug is hiding ........

the bug is hiding ........
Originally uploaded by Leone Fabre.

in the Crepe Ginger Plant at the Singapore Botanical Gardens.

This paper thin white flower is often seen in gardens around Singapore and is a tall and dramatic landscape plant with large dark green leaves arranged on the stalk in a spiral. This Costus can grow to 10 ft (3.1 m) tall in frost-free areas, but typically grows to about 6 ft (1.8 m) tall in cooler regions where it is root hardy but dies back in winter.

The flowers appear in late summer or early fall, and are quite unusual looking. They form on red 4 in (10.2 cm) cone-shaped bracts, with several 2 in (5 cm) pure white crinkled flowers protruding from each cone. The flowers look like crepe paper - thus the common name of crepe ginger. After the flowers fade away, the attractive red cone-shaped bracts remain.