Hanging Lobster Claw
Heliconia rostrata
Also known as Lovster Claw, Parrot's beak
About Hanging Lobster Claw
Heliconia rostrata, the hanging lobster claw or false bird of paradise, is a herbaceous perennial plant native to El Salvador, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Ecuador, and naturalized in Puerto Rico. It is found in tropical rainforests, as it thrives in warm and humid environments. The inflorescences of many other heliconias grow vertically, facing upwards (e.g. Heliconia bihai), their cup-shaped bracts storing water for birds and insects. This plant, however, has pendulous inflorescences with the bracts facing downwards, the flowers nestled underneath. Without the collection of rainwater in the bracts, the flowers within them provide a source of undiluted nectar.
Description adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Heliconia rostrata
- Genus
- Heliconia
- Family
- HELICONIACEAE
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Grown as garden plant
- Native to
- Peru, Ecuador
- Flowering & fruiting
- November-May
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Local Names
- Bengali
- নখবল্লরি, ঝুলন্ত চিংড়ি
- Kannada
- ದ್ರೌಪದಿಯ ಜಡೆ
- Malayalam
- ഹെലികോണിയ റോസ്ട്രേറ്റ
Heliconiaceae
Heliconia Family
Hanging Lobster Claw belongs to the Heliconiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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