Crimson Cube Flower

This large flower grows up to 5.1 feet (1.5 meters) tall. Its red stem is thin and splits into dozens of branching stems at the base, and the tiny, red leaves are wide with wavy edges. Many leaves grow at the base of the stem, and more leaves grow in pairs along the length of the stem.

Each stem splits 3 to 8 times; a single large flower grows at the end of each split. The flowers are 73 cm (28.7 inches) wide, with petals that are turquoise in the center, crimson in the middle and blue at the edges. The flower head is shaped like a cube with 33 tightly layered, narrow petals. They are very delicate.

It has a fairly strong scent that smells like coconut, and it has a fair amount of pollen. It is pollinated by the wind, but is also particularly attractive to butterflies.