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Botanical Family · Zingiberales

Heliconiaceae

Heliconia Family

3 speciesOrder Zingiberales3+ well-known plants

The Heliconiaceae family (Heliconia Family) is a botanical family placed in the order Zingiberales. In the SASYA catalogue it spans 3 species. Its members are predominantly herbs. Several members are valued in traditional medicine. Familiar examples include Expanded Lobsterclaw, Parakeet flower and Hanging Lobster Claw.

Browse all 3 species ↓
Representative HELICONIACEAE specimen
Representative specimen · Heliconiaceae
Key pattern

Large, banana-like paddle leaves on giant rhizomatous herbs; the true flowers are small and hidden inside stiff, brightly coloured, boat-shaped bracts stacked in a zigzag along an upright or pendulous spike — it is the bracts, not the petals, that give the plant its colour.

The waxy, brightly coloured bracts pool small amounts of rainwater and nectar inside their curled tips, specifically attracting hummingbirds as pollinators.

Identify the species

Which Heliconiaceae species is this?

Answer what you can see and narrow it down to a single Heliconiaceae species.

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Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?
Orange
Red

Typical leaf characters

  • ArrangementVariable
  • Simple type leaf characterTypeSimple
  • MarginVariable
  • VenationVariable

Characters typical of the family — individual species can vary.

Typical flower & fruit

  • Flower symmetryVariable
  • InflorescencePanicle
  • FruitVariable

Typical of the family — flowering plants only; species can vary.

Notable members

Expanded LobsterclawHeliconia latispathaParakeet Flower, Parrot FlowerHeliconia psittacorumHanging Lobster Claw, Lovster Claw, Parrot's BeakHeliconia rostrata

All 3 species in HELICONIACEAE

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