Bright red bracts form a cone that is augmented with orange flowers that seemingly 'pop' out occasionally throughout its long flowering season (winter months). Unlike other species in the genus Costus, this plant flowers at a relatively short 2.5 feet in height. For Chicago-area gardeners, this is a plant that can be grown in a good-sized pot outdoors in a shaded area during the frost-free period and brought indoors to provide flowers throughout the winter. Most homes have low humidity in the winter, and this plant will need to be misted with water periodically to keep spider mites at bay.