Heliconias

Description

he Heliconia genus contains nearly 200 flowering perennial species, native mostly to the tropical Americas (a few are native to South Pacific regions). Of this group, a relatively small handful of species are commonly cultivated for landscaping and as indoor houseplants. Heliconias are common outdoor landscape plants in tropical zones such as Hawaii, southern Florida, and Costa Rica, but selected species and cultivars are often grown as houseplants in other regions.

These plants have large, banana-like leaves around thick, sturdy stems. The flower stems form extremely colorful waxy bracts (modified leaf structures), from which colorful small flowers emerge. The colorful bracts are generally more spectacular than the flowers.