Ray E. was heading in the right direction because he picked up on some family characteristics.
Terry E. got it…
"Blue Ginger (Dichorisandra thyrsiflora).
As per Ray’s offering above, this species is in the same family, Commelinaceae, as the spiderworts, dayflowers, etc."
To any plant i.d. students that may accidentally read this: family identification is important and helpful. The characteristic triangular flower shape (three petals) and six stamens is a dead giveaway (I get some guff for making them learn families).
Plant photos taken at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden near Hilo. Lush and gorgeous!
We grow it as a tropical here, but it certainly doesn’t reach 6′ tall as in Hawaii. Easy enough to dig up and overwinter (and share with your friends – we got our clump from local plant goddess Elissa Steeves).
Awesome – do you need my contact information for the plane tickets (two, please) to go see the plants in Hilo;-) Actually, I cheated a bit as we have several specimens of this species in the greenhouse complex I manage at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science & Forestry in Syracuse, New York (not exactly the Big Island – but the plants are loaded with these gorgeous clusters of blooms each autumn). To learn more about our facility go to http://www.esf.edu/greenhouses.
I’ve been to that Botanical Garden near Hilo, one year when I was visiting my mom. It wasn’t there in 1970 when my husband and I were married, good to see how much it has filled in since I saw it in the 1990’s.