Botanical Name : Heliconia spp. (hel-I-KO-nee-a)
Family : Heliconiaceae
Order: Zingiberales
Botanical Name : Heliconia spp. (hel-I-KO-nee-a)
Family : Heliconiaceae
Order: Zingiberales
“Heliconia” refers to Mount Helicon in Greece, home to the muses, goddesses of the arts and sciences in greek mythology. The muses were said to be eternally young and beautiful, thus the name “heliconia” refers to the flowers’ long-lasting and attractive qualities.
2. Botanical Name : Heliconia spp. (hel-I-KO-nee-a)
Family : Heliconiaceae
Order: Zingiberales
COMMON NAMES: Lobster claw, False bird-of-
paradise, Parrot flower
Native to Central and South America
3. Fun Facts
MEANING “Heliconia” refers to Mount Helicon in Greece, home to the
muses, goddesses of the arts and sciences in greek mythology. The muses
were said to be eternally young and beautiful, thus the name “heliconia”
refers to the flowers’ long-lasting and attractive qualities.
The large boat-shaped bracts often hold water that serves as a breeding
place for mosquitoes.
5. Botany
Heliconias derive their beauty from highly
modified leaves or bracts.
Colour varies from pink, red, orange, yellow
and different combinations.
The stalk length range from 0.5 to 3.0 m, and
inflorescence size from 10 to 50 cm.
Depend on variety heliconias will range in
height from two to twenty feet, often with
extensive rhizomatous growth.
6. In heliconia thread like structures connects the pollen grains.
Heliconias are found to be diploid with 2n = 24 chromosomes
Triploid (2n = 3x = 36) cultivars also found to exist
Heliconias are the only genus in the Heliconiaceae family. The genus has
about 200 to 250 species and many cultivars.
Heliconias were once grouped in the Musaceae (banana) family and the
Strelitziaceae (bird-of paradise) family, giving it one of its common
names, “false bird-of-paradise.”
7. Flowers are bisexual
Open few hours in morning
Style long
Inferior Ovary
Stamens: 6 (1 –sterile)
Stigma is receptive: 4 hrs after opening
8. Erect heliconias are
stand straight with
bracts pointing up
Pendent heliconias hang
with bracts pointing down
Inflorescence
9.
10. Inflorescence Types
1. Inflorescence erect and in one plane
2. Inflorescence erect and in more than one plane
3. Inflorescence pendant and in one plane
4. Inflorescence pendant and in more than one plane
(Robert Roy Smith's, 1968)
11. Inflorescence erect and in one
plane
Heliconia aurantiaca Orange bracts, yellow flowers
H. aureo striata Green and yellow bracts,
variegated leaves
H. bourgaeana Rose-colored spathe with green
margins
H. caribaea Large yellow bracts
H. humilis Largered bracts
H. psittacorum Rosy-red bracts, conspicuous
orange flowers
H. wagneriana Bracts with red base, yellow
streak on top
12. Inflorescence erect and in more than
one plane
Heliconia metallica Small green to yellow
bracts
H. latispatha Large orange bracts
13. Inflorescence pendant and in one
plane
Heliconia rostrata Rose-colored bracts
with green tips
H. catheta Red triangle at base of
bracts, green tips
14. Inflorescence pendant and in more
than one plane
Heliconia collinsiana var.
velutina
Red triangle toward base
of bracts, yellow tips
H. collinsiana var.
collinsiana
Red bracts covered with
white bloom
15. Pollinator- Humming bird
They are the only pollinators in heliconia
Sexual dimorphism in the purple-throated carib (Eulampis jugularis)
MALE FEMALE
17. Seeds:
The fruit is 1 to 3 seeded Drupe, blue or red to
orange at maturity.
Seed is surronded by stony, roughened endocarp
(Pyrenes), embryo is straight and endosperm
present copiously (Wanger, 1999)
18. Breeding objectives
• Novel colour, form and shape of the inflorescence
• Dwarf statured
• Profuse flowering
• Cultivars suitable for coconut plantations and intercropping
• Pest and disease free
• Varieties suitable for tropical conditions
21. Heliconia stricta
Colours are ranged from red, gold,
orange, maroon and green singly or in
combination
These exotic tropicals are ideal for small
arrangements as their inflorescence
range from 5” – 12” long and are not too
heavy
23. Heliconia rostrata
Hanging Lobster Claw
Pendant inflorescence of alternating bracts
each 6-10 cm long, scarlet red tipped with
cream to yellow
Downward-facing flowers, the flowers thus
providing a source of nectar to birds
25. Heliconia psittacorum
The psittacorum (or parrot’s beak) heliconias are
small, dainty and exotically tropical and resemble
the plant known commonly as Bird- of- Paradise
Flower heads appear to be hand painted and
glow with brillant colours and greenish yellow
flowers with black spots near apex and bloom
abundantly all year
The cultivar Tay proved very productive, while
Andromeda was similar but taller, with more
flower heads
29. Heliconia bihai
Wild plantain/ Fire bird
Greenish yellow flowers clustered in the axils of
large stiff boat shaped crimson red flattened
bracts with pointed tip and arranged in two ranks
on erect inflorescence
33. Heliconia latispatha
Erect inflorescence with well seperated boat shaped bracts orange yellow
at the base and red towards tip Greenish flowers
Native to Central and South America
34. Heliconia excelsa
Bracts are red to burgundy-red with contrasting
yellow sepals.
A very interesting aspect is the distinctive shape
of the bracts which form a funnel shaped
opening with well developed curved lips.
38. Heliconia caribaea cv. Cream
Bracts are yellow or golden yellow, shading
to cream with greenish tint towards tip and
along keel.
Leaves are covered with white waxy coating
on the undersides as well as the stems.
Blooming from April to December.
39. Heliconia vellerigera
Nursery trade name: King Kong
Bracts and rachis are red, covered with
cinnamon hairs.
Sepals deep yellow
52. Heliconia metallica
Mainly grown for its foliage
Leaves do have a white midrib on upper surface
and are maroon below.
This plant is "cannoid" which means leaves are
arranged like on Canna a relative of Heliconia.
