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Conservation Status
IUCN: not evaluated
USFWS: None
Family: HELICONIACEAE Genus: Heliconia Species: orthotricha Species Author: L. Andersson
Medium flower size, bold coloration, good keeping qualities and a long season of bloom characterize selections of Heliconia orthotricha.
Grows about 5' to 6'( 1.5 m to 1.8m ) high in full sun to light shade.
It has upright red bracts with dark maroon or dark green line along lip. Lower bract with green keel. Like most Heliconia orthotricha varieties the bract surface is covered with velvety hairs. Foliage is banana like with waxy white coating on stems and lower midrib.
Heliconias have become increasingly popular as decorative flowers, especially in those regions where they cannot be grown in the garden.
Heliconia are grown for their beautiful, brilliant colorful flowering bracts. They require bright light and are heavy feeders of any well balanced fertilizer.
(Kepler, A. K. 1999. Exotic Tropicals of Hawaii.)
Heliconias are natives to Central and South America-the Amazon rainforest- and some islands of the South Pacific. Their easy cultivation and spectacular presence have made them favorite garden subjects throughout the world.
In the American Tropics, hummingbirds are the exclusive polinators of red, yellow , pink and orange heliconias while nectar feeding bats are the polinators of green heliconias.
(Kepler, A. K. 1999. Exotic Tropicals of Hawaii.)
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.)
We currently have 21 herbarium specimens for Heliconia orthotricha in our collection. Click on any specimen below to view the herbarium sheet data.
