Plantae > Tracheophyta > Liliopsida > Zingiberales > Heliconiaceae > Heliconia > Heliconia rostrata

Heliconia rostrata (false bird of paradise)

Synonyms: Bihai poeppigiana; Bihai rostrata (homotypic); Heliconia poeppigiana (homotypic)

Wikipedia Abstract

Heliconia rostrata (also known as Hanging Lobster Claw or False Bird of Paradise) is an herbaceous perennial native to Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Ecuador, and naturalized in Puerto Rico. Other Heliconias grow in the upright position (e.g. Heliconia bihai), their cup-shaped flower bracts storing water for birds and insects. This plant, however, has downward-facing flowers, the flowers thus providing a source of nectar to birds. Along with the Kantuta flower, Heliconia rostrata, known as patujú, is the national flower of Bolivia.
View Wikipedia Record: Heliconia rostrata

Attributes

Allergen Potential [1]  Low
Lifespan [2]  Perennial
Structure [2]  Herb

Predators

Glaucis hirsutus (Rufous-breasted Hermit)[3]
Phaethornis eurynome (Scale-throated Hermit)[3]
Ramphodon naevius (Saw-billed Hermit)[3]

External References

USDA Plant Profile

Citations

Attributes / relations provided by
1Derived from Allergy-Free Gardening OPALS™, Thomas Leo Ogren (2000)
2USDA Plants Database, U. S. Department of Agriculture
3The Saw-billed Hermit Ramphodon naevius and its Flowers in Southeastern Brazil, Ivan Sazima, Silvana Buzato and Marlies Sazima, Brazil. J. Orn. 136: 195-206
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0