Heliconia

Heliconias are one of the most colorful and beautiful flowers, the colors of which are an important source of attraction for the forest hummingbirds, pollinating the flowers.

Image of Heliconia Heliconia, also popularly known as lobster-claw, wild plantain or false bird-of-paradise, is a beautiful flower with multi-color bracts and varied flower structure. Heliconias are native to the tropical Americas and the Pacific Ocean islands west to Indonesia. Heliconia, formerly included in the family Musaceae, is now the only genus under Heliconiaceae.

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Heliconiaceae
Genus: Heliconia

Heliconia are grown for their beautiful, brilliant colorful flowering bracts. Breathtaking and unusual flowerheads (bracts) rise from clumps of banana like leaves, sometimes very large or slender.

Heliconia flowers are actually highly modified leaves and bracts. The flowering stems are mostly pendulous. A bract is a leaf structure at the base of a flower. Heliconia flowers are produced on long, erect or drooping panicles, and consist of brightly colored waxy bracts, with small true flowers inside the bracts. Bracts which can be orange, purple, red, yellow, pink, green or their combinations.

Facts About Heliconia

Heliconia is named after Mount Helicon, the seat of the Muses, the nine goddesses of the arts and sciences in Greek mythology.
The Heliconia's bracts are so large and colorful that they almost hide the flowers altogether. This keeps the flower's sweet nectar from other birds so that only specialized birds can get to it.
Heliconia has oblong leaves growing opposite one another on nonwoody stems, often forming large clumps with age.
Heliconias are grown as landscape plants.
Heliconis grow to a height of 3-30 feet in height.
There are some species of Heliconia which have upright facing flowers.
Some heliconia flowers droop down from the main stem and are called hanging heliconia.
Some of the commonly grown heliconia species include garden species include Heliconia Augusta, Heliconia bihai, Heliconia brasiliensis, Heliconia caribaea, Heliconia latispatha, Heliconia pendula, Heliconia psittacorum, Heliconia rostrata, Heliconia schiediana, and Heliconia wagneriana.

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Growing Heliconias

Heliconias should be planted in a draining soil with the top sticking out of the ground. Heliconias flourish well in loamy soils rich in humus.
Heliconias need sunlight, with temperature that does not go below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Plant rhizomes which may or may not have a young shoot.
Cut back the old shoot to about 6 inches before planting.
The eyes or buds, present in the heliconia rhizome helps to grow new shoots in about four weeks, while roots grow from the rhizome.
Heliconias need an abundance of water.
Since Heliconias are heavy feeders, a soluble balanced or granular time-release fertiliser can be used.
Heliconia's blooming season is once to several times a year.

Heliconias plant care

Heliconias need a lot of sun and heat, so put in sun or brightly lit area or keep them under a sun lamp for extended periods.
Remove any dead leaves and stems.
Mulching is necessary as it retains moisture around root zone, and controls the weeds.
Place a slow release fertilizer directly into the planting hole.
Overwatering may cause the roots to rot.

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