Hot Lips Flower (Psychotria Poeppigiana)

A member of Rubiaceae, the coffee family, this large shrub is widely distributed in tropical forests from southern Mexico to northernmost Argentina. To attract its main pollinators, hummingbirds, its inconspicuous inflorescences are framed by two glossy, bright red bracts that look like a pair of pouting lips. The flowers are yellow and are in the center of the red bracts (function in attracting hummingbird pollinators). The fruits are beautiful royal blue.

It also have a number of applications in traditional medicine. It is used as a painkiller, and can also be used to treat headaches, sprains, rheumatism, respiratory tract infections, muscular pains and bruises, whooping cough, and earaches.
It also contains dimethyltryptamine, though as suggested by the use native peoples make of it probably not in quantities to render it strongly psychedelic.

© Istvan Kadar Photography

Taken in: Costa Rica / San Jose / Vásquez de Coronado (show map)

Taken on: March 11, 2013

Tags:

Caravan Tour

Mick

Costa Rica

Hot Lips Fruit

Jaggers Psychotria

poeppigiana Rubiaceae Sore-mouth

Bush

blue

colourful

flora

flower

lips

medicine

nature

neotropic

plant

psychedelic

red

tropical « less

Sets appears in: • Flowers • Costa Rica

Groups appears in: • Illuminations

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, f/4.5, 1/50 sec, 65mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Aperture:	f/4.5
Exposure Time:	0.02 sec (1/50)
Focal Length:	65mm
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Show full info

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