A tropical soft-stemmed evergreen shrub 0.5–2.5 m, mostly under 30 cm in homes. Upright racemes of overlapping bright yellow bracts like a golden shrimp or a lollipop, hence golden shrimp plant and lollipop plant; the true flowers white, zygomorphic, long-throated and two-lipped, emerging one after another from the bracts and short-lived, while the yellow spike lasts weeks. The epithet means yellow. A purple-brown-bracted form also exists. Needs protection below 10 °C.
Habitat
Tropical beds, hedges and pots in half shade and moisture; a glasshouse and house plant in northern East Asia.
Distribution
Native to Peru (some sources add Mexico and the Guianas); common in Singapore's parks and beds, grown in southern China (Guangdong, Yunnan, Taiwan), glasshouse and indoor only in Japan (ukon-sangobana).
Season and behaviour
All year in the tropics, most in the warm months; a spike of yellow bracts lasts weeks, each white flower a day or two.
Photography tips
These are the FilmAnalysis editors' notes, not content from the sources.
The yellow spike is the body and the white flower peeping out the point: a side macro at the moment a white flower emerges between the bracts; yellow bleaches in sun, so half a stop under, best under cloud. Rows of spikes in a portrait frame. Dark green leaves behind for clean colour.
Photographic styles
A white flower peeping from a yellow spike; rows of golden spikes.
Similar species
Shrimp plant, Justicia brandegeeana (red-brown drooping shrimp-like bracts); Brazilian plume, Justicia carnea (pink heads); yellow shrimp plant is another name for this species.
Related badge
None yet. No validated photo recognition exists for this species, so no badge is tied to it: a name in the encyclopedia is not evidence in a photograph.
The illustration is original FilmAnalysis artwork. The photograph is from Wikimedia Commons; its licence and author are under it.
Why it is listed: this species comes from the Flower checklist (GBIF backbone and Wikidata verified). Names follow the GBIF backbone and Wikidata; the facts follow the sources below; photo recognition is not offered.
