Cairns Botanic Gardens Flowers 1

A fantastic array of tropical plants is on show at Cairns Botanic Gardens in Queensland, Australia, in both a formal garden setting and also wild as nature intended. The formal gardens include plants that are native to Australia and its tropical rainforest as well as including introduced exotic species. I think the spectacular red blooms in these photographs are a type of Heliconia in bud, most likely the giant pendant species Heliconia mariae x pogonantha which can grow to a height of 4 – 5 metres. Heliconias are native to Central and South America and also some South Pacific islands.