Hanging Lobster Claw
Heliconia rostrata
Also known as Lovster Claw, Parrot's Beak
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka & more
- Flowering
- November-May
How to identify Hanging Lobster Claw
Identify Hanging Lobster Claw by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Hanging red-and-yellow lobster-claw-shaped bracts.
- Confirm flower colour: Red.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: November-May.
- In India, compare location records such as Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Heliconiaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Hanging Lobster Claw.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Heliconia rostrata
- Genus
- Heliconia
- Family
- Heliconiaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Grown as garden plant
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Native to
- Peru, Ecuador
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Manipur, Odisha, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- November-May
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
Typical of the Heliconiaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Redrecorded
Typical of the family
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
Characters marked “recorded” are for Hanging Lobster Claw itself; the rest are typical of the Heliconiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Bengali
- নখবল্লরি, ঝুলন্ত চিংড়ি
- Kannada
- ದ್ರೌಪದಿಯ ಜಡೆ
- Malayalam
- ഹെലികോണിയ റോസ്ട്രേറ്റ
About Hanging Lobster Claw
Hanging Lobster Claw (Heliconia rostrata) belongs to the Heliconiaceae family, where it grows as a herb. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and 15 other states. It is grown as garden plant. Flowering and fruiting run from November to May.
Heliconiaceae
Heliconia Family
Hanging Lobster Claw belongs to the Heliconiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Heliconiaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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