Bijao

Pampano, Calathea lutea (iNaturalist link) is called Bijao in Spanish (common name) though my gardener calls it “Bijagua” which is name also used for a similar big-leaf plant that in English is called Rattlesnake Plant, with a flower like the rattles of a rattlesnake, while this plant has flowers sort of like cigars, giving it the English common names of Cigar Plant (my blog post in March showing the “cigar” flower) or Cigar Calathea. Back then the wind had shredded these big beautiful leaves which look nicer now. These leaves are used by some restaurants to wrap food or serve food on.

Bijao or Cigar Plant, Calathea lutea, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica seen from drive above my garden.

For more info, read the Wikipedia Calathea lutea Article. And here are two more shots of my Bijao plant from different angles . . .

Calathea lutea, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica, towering high as seen standing beneath them.
Calathea lutea, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica, towering up to the roof line of my house with Heliconia adjacent.

I regularly cut some of them back because they block the sun from flowers that require sun to bloom. 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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