Genus Heliconia

Genus Heliconia is composed of about 100 to 200 species of flowering plants that are common to the tropical Americas and the Pacific Ocean islands west to Indonesia. This is the only genus belonging to the Family Heliconiaceae. Heliconia is also known as lobster-claw, wild plantain and false bird-of-paradise. Its leaves are ranges from 15-300 am long, oblong and growing opposite one another on non-woody petioles. Often, they are longer than the leaf and they form large clumps with age. Heliconia flowers are long, erect or drooping panicles. They are consist of brightly colored waxy bracts with small true flowers peeping out from the bracts. The growth habit of heliconias is comparable to that of Canna, Strelitzia (Bird-of-paradise), and bananas, to which they are related.

Aside from the beauty they exude, Heliconias have other roles in the environment. They are considered as an important source of food for forest hummingbirds. It is also being used by the hermits for nesting. There are species of Heliconia that were selected as cultivars for garden planting. They are Heleconia psittacorum L.f. which was crossed to Heleconia spathocircinata Aristeg. Both of these species came from South America majority from Brazil.