Heliconia stricta 'Firebird' - Meet the Plants - National Tropical Botanical Garden Plant Database

Meet the Plants

Home

Photo Gallery

Choose A Plant

Permission to Use Photos

Links

Kids' Corner!

Currently Viewing: Heliconia stricta 'Firebird'

P. Goltra

Other Resources for Heliconia stricta 'Firebird'

(photo)

Taxonomy:

Heliconia stricta 'Firebird' (Heliconiaceae)

Firebird Heliconia

Classification:

Heliconia L.
Kingdom: Plantae-Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta-Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta-Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta-Flowering plants
Class: Liliopsida-Monocotyledons
Subclass: Zingiberidae
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Heliconiaceae-Heliconia Family
Genus: Heliconia L.-Heliconia
Species: stricta J. E. Huber
(National Plant Database. 2004.)

Description:

The habit of Heliconia stricta is banana like, sometimes with a waxy white coating on stems and lower

leaf midrib. The erect inflorescence is 4 to 15 in. high. Bracts are in 2 rows, usually red or orange, often with narrow maroon-green margins on upper lip and tip. The plant prefers full sun to 30 % shade.

Geographic Distribution:

Heliconias are native from Mexico and Central to South America and the West Indies, and some islands of the South Pacific. Their easy cultivation and spectacular presence have made them favorite garden subjects throughout the world.

Status:

Although Heliconias flourish in the humid lowland tropics at elevations below 1500 feet, surprisingly, the greatest number of species are found in middle elevation rain and cloud forest habitats.

The most remarkable members of the genus inhabit open sites in secondary growth along roads, riverbanks and in patches of light in the forest.
(Kepler, A. K. 1999. Exotic Tropicals of Hawaii.)

Species Interconnections and Interdependencies:

Species Interconnections and Interdependencies: In the American Tropics, hummingbirds are the exclusive polinators of red, yellow , pink and orange heliconias while nectar feeding bats and certain birds are the pollinators of green heliconias.

(Kepler, A. K. 1999. Exotic Tropicals of Hawaii.)

Share This Page | Back to top

Choose a Plant

Users of this search feature should note that common names are often used for more than one plant species.
When searching for common names in the Hawaiian language, the name may include okina, each instance represented by an apostrophe (') or glottal stop (`).