Gunnera magnifica

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Gunnera magnifica, commonly called hoja de pantano, is a very large plant from the montane rainforests of the Colombian Andes (Caldas Province). It can reach up to about 4.7 meters tall. The lower stem lies along the ground and spreads with rhizomes, while the upper stem grows upright and palm-like. The thick trunk can be up to 40 centimeters in diameter. At the top, a rosette of enormous leaves forms. Each leaf blade is about 92–115 cm long and up to 184 cm wide. The leaf stalk (petiole) can be as long as 2.4 meters and 8–10 cm thick. Leaves emerge from a very long bud up to 60 cm long and 40 cm wide—the largest leaf bud of any known plant.

The plant bears a red panicle (a branched cluster) of flowers, with the combined height of the panicle and pedicel reaching up to 2.7 meters. The flowers are arranged in pairs: two sepals, two petals, two stamens, and two pistils. The terminal bud is covered by long, slender, branched bud scales with filamentous side branches, measuring about 10–39 cm long and 4–7.5 cm wide—the largest bud scales known in any plant.