Heliconia

{{Redirect|Lobster-claw|the crustacean appendage|Lobster claw}} {{Short description|Genus of plants}} {{Other uses}} {{Distinguish|Helliconia|Heliconius|Helicon (disambiguation){{!}}Helicon}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Heliconia_latispatha_(Starwiz).jpg | image_caption = ''Heliconia latispatha'' inflorescences | parent_authority = Vines<ref name="POWO2">{{cite web |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77126726-1 |title=''Heliconiaceae'' Vines |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |year=2026 |access-date=4 May 2026}}</ref> | taxon = Heliconia | authority = L.<ref name="POWO">{{cite web |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:331205-2 |title=''Heliconia'' L. |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |year=2026 |access-date=4 May 2026}}</ref> | synonyms_ref = {{R|POWO}} | synonyms = * ''Bihai'' <small>Mill.</small> * ''Heliconiopsis'' <small>Miq.</small> }} [[File:HHeliconia.JPG|right|thumb|''Heliconia mariae'' inflorescence]] thumb|right|''Heliconia psittacorum''

'''''Heliconia''''' is a genus of flowering plants in the monotypic family '''Heliconiaceae'''. Most of the 194 known species<ref name="Christenhusz-Byng2016">{{cite journal |last1=Christenhusz |first1=M. J. M. |last2=Byng |first2=J. W. |year=2016 |title=The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase |journal=Phytotaxa |volume=261 |pages=201–217 |url=http://biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/download/phytotaxa.261.3.1/20598 |doi=10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1 |issue=3 |publisher=Magnolia Press |doi-access=free }}</ref> are native to the tropical Americas, but a few are indigenous to certain islands of the western Pacific and Maluku in Indonesia.<ref name="POWO"/> Many species of ''Heliconia'' are found in the tropical forests of these regions. Most species are listed as either vulnerable or data deficient by the IUCN Red List of threatened species.<ref name = IUCNRL>{{cite web | url = https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Heliconia&searchType=species | title = Helliconia | publisher = IUCN Red List of Threatened Species | access-date = 17 October 2019}}</ref> Several species are widely cultivated as ornamentals, and a few are naturalized in Florida, Gambia, and Thailand.<ref name="POWO"/>

Common names for the genus include '''lobster-claws''', '''toucan beak''', '''wild plantain''', or '''false bird-of-paradise'''; the last term refers to their close similarity to the bird-of-paradise flowers in the genus ''Strelitzia''. Collectively, these plants are also simply referred to as "'''heliconias'''".

''Heliconia'' originated in the Late Eocene (39 Ma) and are the oldest known clade of hummingbird-pollinated plants.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Iles |first1=William J. D. |last2=Sass |first2=Chodon |last3=Lagomarsino |first3=Laura |last4=Benson-Martin |first4=Gracie |last5=Driscoll |first5=Heather |last6=Specht |first6=Chelsea D. |date=2017-12-01 |title=The phylogeny of Heliconia (Heliconiaceae) and the evolution of floral presentation |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790316303906 |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |series=25th Anniversary Issue of Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=117 |pages=150–167 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2016.12.001 |pmid=27998817 |bibcode=2017MolPE.117..150I |issn=1055-7903|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==Description== These herbaceous plants range from 0.5 to nearly 4.5 m (1.5–15&nbsp;ft) tall, depending on the species.<ref name=berry>{{cite book|last1=Berry|first1=Fred|last2=Kress|first2=John|title=Heliconia Identification Guide|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press|year=1991}}</ref>

=== Leaves === The simple leaves of these plants are 15–300&nbsp;cm (6&nbsp;in–10&nbsp;ft). They are characteristically long, oblong, alternate, or growing opposite one another on nonwoody petioles often longer than the leaf, often forming large clumps with age.<ref name="gilman">{{cite web|url=http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fp249 |title=Heliconia spp. Heliconia |date=1 May 2007 |last1=Gilman |first1=Edward |first2=Alan |last2=Meerow |website=University of Florida IFAS Extension }}</ref> The leaves in different positions on the plant have a different absorption potential of sunlight for photosynthesis when exposed to different degrees of sunlight.<ref name=he>{{cite journal|last1=He|first1=J.|first2=C.|last2=Chee|first3=C.|last3=Goh|title='Photoinhibition' of Heliconia under natural tropical conditions: the importance of leaf orientation for light interception and leaf temperature|journal=Plant, Cell & Environment|volume=19|issue=11|pages=1238–1248|doi=10.1111/j.1365-3040.1996.tb00002.x|year=1996|bibcode=1996PCEnv..19.1238H }}</ref> They also look like lobster claws.

=== Flower === thumb|''Heliconia rostrata'' growing in West Bengal, India thumb|''H. rostrata'' inflorescence close up

Their flowers are produced on long, erect or drooping panicles, and consist of brightly colored, waxy bracts, with small true flowers peeping out from the bracts. The growth habit of heliconias is similar to ''Canna'', ''Strelitzia'', and bananas, to which they are related. The flowers can be hues of reds, oranges, yellows, and greens, and are subtended by brightly colored bracts.<ref name="gilman"/>

The flowers' shape often limits pollination to a subset of the hummingbirds in the region. They also produce ample nectar that attract these birds.<ref name="gilman"/><ref name=bruna>{{cite journal|last1=Bruna|first1=E. M.|first2=W. J.|last2=Kress|first3=F.|last3=Marques|first4=O. F.|last4=da Silva|year=2004|title=Heliconia acuminata reproductive success is independent of local floral density|journal=Acta Amazonica|volume=34|issue=3|pages=467–471|doi=10.1590/s0044-59672004000300012|doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Seeds === Fruits are blue-purple when ripe and primarily bird dispersed.<ref name=uriarte>{{cite journal |last1=Uriarte |first1=M. Anciães |first2=M. T.B. |last2=da Silva |first3=P. |last3=Rubim |first4=E. |last4=Johnson |first5=E. M. |last5=Bruna |year=2011 |title=Disentangling the drivers of reduced long-distance seed dispersal by birds in an experimentally fragmented landscape |url=http://repositorio.inpa.gov.br/handle/123/3463 |journal=Ecology |volume=92 |issue=4 |pages=924–937 |doi=10.1890/10-0709.1 |pmid=21661555 |bibcode=2011Ecol...92..924U }}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Studies of post-dispersal seed survival showed that seed size was not a determinant. The highest amount of seed predation came from mammals.<ref name=hoii>{{cite journal|last1=Hoii|first1=Karen|first2=Megan|last2=Lulow|year=2006|title=Effects of species, habitat, and distance from edge on post-dispersal seed predation in a Tropical Rainforest|journal=Biotropica|volume=29|issue=4|pages=459–468|doi=10.1111/j.1744-7429.1997.tb00040.x|s2cid=86005157 }}</ref>

== Taxonomy == ''Heliconia'' is the only genus in the monotypic family Heliconiaceae.{{R|POWO2}} The genus was formerly included in the family Musaceae, which includes the bananas (e.g. '' Musa'', ''Ensete'' and so on).<ref name=judd>{{cite book|last1=Judd |first1=Walter |display-authors=etal |year=2007 |title=Plant Systematics: A phylogenetic approach |edition=3rd |location=Sunderland, England |publisher=Sinauer Associates, Inc.}}</ref> In 1998 the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group recognised the family Heliconiaceae in the APG system, and included it in the order Zingiberales as a sister family to ''Musaceae''.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Angiosperm Phylogeny Group |title=An Ordinal Classification for the Families of Flowering Plants |journal=Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden |date=1998 |volume=85 |issue=4 |pages=531–553 |jstor=2992015 }}</ref>{{rp|539}} This position is maintained in the most recent review of the APG system, APG IV, published in 2016.<ref name="APGIV">{{cite journal |last1=Angiosperm Phylogeny Group |title=An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IV |journal=Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society |date=2016 |volume=181 |pages=1–20 |doi=10.1111/boj.12385 }}</ref>{{rp|15}}

===Etymology=== The generic name Heliconia was given by Carl Linnaeus in 1771 from the Greek word {{lang|grc|Ἑλικώνιος}} ''Helikṓnios'' from {{lang|grc|Ἑλικών}} ''Helikṓn'' after Mount Helicon in Boeotia, central Greece.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Datta |editor-first1=S. K. |editor-last2=Gupta |editor-first2=Youdh Chand |title=Floriculture and Ornamental Plants |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pKB5EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA730 |year=2022 |location=Singapore |publisher=Springer Nature |page=730 |isbn=978-981-15-3518-5}}</ref>

{{cladogram | title= {{anchor|CladVI}}Cladogram: Phylogeny of Zingiberales{{sfn|Sass et al|2016}} | align=left | cladogram={{clade|style=font-size:100%;line-height:85% |label1=Zingiberales |1={{clade |1={{clade |1={{clade |label1=Zingiberineae |1={{clade |label1=Zingiberariae |1={{clade |1=Zingiberaceae |2=Costaceae}} |label2=Cannariae |2={{clade |1=Cannaceae |2=Marantaceae}}}} |2={{clade |label1=Strelitziineae |1={{clade |1= Lowiaceae |2= Strelitziaceae}} |2='''Heliconiaceae'''}} }}}} |2={{clade |1=Musaceae}}}}}}}} {{clear}}

==Species== Species accepted by Kew Botanic Gardens<ref name="POWO"/> {| class="wikitable" |- ! Image !! Scientific name !! Distribution |- | || ''Heliconia abaloi'' || Colombia |- |120px || ''Heliconia acuminata'' || South America |- | || ''Heliconia adflexa'' || S Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras |- |120px || ''Heliconia aemygdiana'' || South America |- | || ''Heliconia albicosta'' || Costa Rica |- | || ''Heliconia angelica'' || Ecuador |- |120px || ''Heliconia angusta'' || SE Brazil |- | || ''Heliconia apparicioi'' || Ecuador, Peru, NW Brazil |- | || ''Heliconia arrecta'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia atratensis'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia atropurpurea'' || Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica |- |120px || ''Heliconia aurantiaca'' || S Mexico, Central America |- | || ''Heliconia auriculata'' || Bahia |- | || ''Heliconia badilloi'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia barryana'' || Chiriquí |- | || ''Heliconia beckneri'' || Costa Rica |- | || ''Heliconia bella'' || Panama |- ||| ''Heliconia berguidoi'' || E Panama |- | || ''Heliconia berriziana'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia berryi'' || Napo, Ecuador |- |120px || ''Heliconia bihai'' || West Indies, N South America |- |120px || ''Heliconia bourgaeana'' || S Mexico, Central America |- | || ''Heliconia brachyantha'' || Panama, Colombia, Venezuela |- | || ''Heliconia brenneri'' || Ecuador |- |120px || ''Heliconia burleana'' || Colombia, Ecuador, Peru |- | || ''Heliconia caltheaphylla'' || Costa Rica |- | || ''Heliconia caquetensis'' || Colombia |- ||| ''Heliconia carajaensis'' || Pará |- |120px || ''Heliconia caribaea'' || West Indies |- | || ''Heliconia carmelae'' || Colombia |- |120px || ''Heliconia chartacea'' || N South America |- | || ''Heliconia chrysocraspeda'' || Colombia |- |120px || ''Heliconia clinophila'' || Costa Rica, Panama |- |120px || ''Heliconia colgantea'' || Costa Rica, Panama |- |120px || ''Heliconia collinsiana'' || S Mexico, Central America |- | || ''Heliconia combinata'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia cordata'' || Colombia, Ecuador |- | || ''Heliconia crassa'' || Guatemala |- ||| ''Heliconia cristata'' || Panama |- | || ''Heliconia cucullata'' || Costa Rica, Panama |- |120px || ''Heliconia curtispatha'' || Colombia, Ecuador, Central America |- |120px || ''Heliconia danielsiana'' || Costa Rica, Panama |- ||| ''Heliconia darienensis'' || Colombia, Panama |- | || ''Heliconia dasyantha'' || Suriname, French Guiana |- |120px || ''Heliconia densiflora'' || Trinidad, N South America |- | || ''Heliconia dielsiana'' || NW South America |- | || ''Heliconia donstonea'' || Colombia, Ecuador |- |120px || ''Heliconia episcopalis'' || South America |- ||| ''Heliconia estherae'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia estiletioides'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia excelsa'' || Napo |- |120px || ''Heliconia farinosa'' || SE Brazil, NE Argentina |- | || ''Heliconia faunorum'' || Panama |- | || ''Heliconia fernandezii'' || Antioquia, Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia × flabellata'' || Ecuador |- |120px || ''Heliconia foreroi'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia fragilis'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia fredberryana'' || Imbabura |- | || ''Heliconia fugax'' || Peru |- | || ''Heliconia gaiboriana'' || Los Ríos |- | || ''Heliconia gigantea'' || Colombia |- |120px || ''Heliconia gloriosa'' || Peru |- | || ''Heliconia gracilis'' || Costa Rica |- |120px || ''Heliconia griggsiana'' || Colombia, Ecuador |- | || ''Heliconia harlingii'' || Ecuador |- |120px || ''Heliconia hirsuta'' || Central + South America, Trinidad |- | || ''Heliconia holmquistiana'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia huilensis'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia ignescens'' || Costa Rica, Panama |- |120px || ''Heliconia imbricata'' || Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia |- |120px || ''Heliconia impudica'' || Ecuador |- | || ''Heliconia indica'' || Papuasia, Maluku |- | || ''Heliconia intermedia'' || Colombia |- |120px || ''Heliconia irrasa'' || Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua |- |120px || ''Heliconia julianii'' || N South America |- | || ''Heliconia juruana'' || Ecuador, Peru, NW Brazil |- | || ''Heliconia kautzkiana'' || Espírito Santo |- | || ''Heliconia lanata'' || Solomon Islands |- | || ''Heliconia lankesteri'' || Costa Rica, Panama |- | || ''Heliconia lasiorachis'' || Colombia, Peru, NW Brazil |- |120px || ''Heliconia latispatha'' || from S Mexico to Peru |- | || ''Heliconia laufao'' || Samoa |- | || ''Heliconia laxa'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia lentiginosa'' || Antioquia |- | || ''Heliconia librata'' || S Mexico, Central America |- |120px || ''Heliconia lingulata'' || Peru, Bolivia |- | || ''Heliconia litana'' || Imbabura |- |120px || ''Heliconia longiflora'' || Colombia, Ecuador, Central America |- |120px || ''Heliconia longissima'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia lophocarpa'' || Costa Rica, Panama |- | || ''Heliconia lourteigiae'' || South America |- |120px || ''Heliconia lozanoi'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia luciae'' || B Amazonas |- | || ''Heliconia lutea'' || Panama |- | || ''Heliconia luteoviridis'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia lutheri'' || Ecuador |- | || ''Heliconia maculata'' || Panama |- | || ''Heliconia magnifica'' || Panama |- | || ''Heliconia × mantenensis'' || Minas Gerais |- | || ''Heliconia marginata'' || N South America, S Central America |- |120px || ''Heliconia mariae'' || NW South America, Central America |- | || ''Heliconia markiana'' || Ecuador |- | || ''Heliconia marthiasiae'' || S Mexico, Central America |- | || ''Heliconia meridensis'' || Colombia, Venezuela |- |120px || ''Heliconia metallica'' || N South America, Central America |- | || ''Heliconia monteverdensis'' || Costa Rica |- | || ''Heliconia mooreana'' || Guerrero |- | || ''Heliconia mucilagina'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia mucronata'' || Venezuela, NW Brazil |- |120px || ''Heliconia mutisiana'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia nariniensis'' || Colombia, Ecuador |- | || ''Heliconia necrobracteata'' || Panama |- | || ''Heliconia × nickeriensis'' || Suriname, French Guiana |- | || ''Heliconia nigripraefixa'' || Colombia, Ecuador, Panama |- | || ''Heliconia nitida'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia nubigena'' || Costa Rica, Panama |- | || ''Heliconia nutans'' || Costa Rica, Panama |- | || ''Heliconia obscura'' || Ecuador, Peru |- | || ''Heliconia obscuroides'' || Colombia, Ecuador, Peru |- | || ''Heliconia oleosa'' || Colombia |- |120px || ''Heliconia orthotricha'' || Colombia, Ecuador, Peru |- | || ''Heliconia osaensis'' || Colombia, Central America |- | || ''Heliconia paka'' || Fiji |- | || ''Heliconia paludigena'' || Ecuador |- | || ''Heliconia papuana'' || New Guinea |- | || ''Heliconia pardoi'' || Ecuador |- | || ''Heliconia pastazae'' || Ecuador |- | || ''Heliconia peckenpaughii'' || Napo |- | || ''Heliconia pendula'' || Guiana, Fr Guiana, NE Brazil |- | || ''Heliconia penduloides'' || Peru |- | || ''Heliconia peteriana'' || Ecuador |- | || ''Heliconia × plagiotropa'' || Ecuador |- |120px || ''Heliconia platystachys'' || NW South America, S Central America |- |120px || ''Heliconia pogonantha'' || NW South America, S Central America |- | || ''Heliconia pruinosa'' || Peru |- | || ''Heliconia pseudoaemygdiana'' || Rio de Janeiro |- |120px || ''Heliconia psittacorum'' || N South America, Panama, Trinidad |- | || ''Heliconia ramonensis'' || Costa Rica, Panama |- |120px || ''Heliconia × rauliniana'' || Venezuela |- | || ''Heliconia regalis'' || Colombia, Ecuador |- | || ''Heliconia reptans'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia reticulata'' || NW South America, S Central America |- | || ''Heliconia revoluta'' || Colombia, Venezuela, NW Brazil |- | || ''Heliconia rhodantha'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia richardiana'' || NE South America |- | || ''Heliconia rigida'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia riopalenquensis'' || Ecuador |- | || ''Heliconia rivularis'' || São Paulo, Brazil |- | || ''Heliconia robertoi'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia robusta'' || Peru, Bolivia |- |120px || ''Heliconia rodriguensis'' || Venezuela |- | || ''Heliconia rodriguezii'' || Costa Rica |- |120px || ''Heliconia rostrata'' || Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia |- | || ''Heliconia samperiana'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia sanctae-martae'' || Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta |- | || ''Heliconia sanctae-theresae'' || Antioquia |- | || ''Heliconia santaremensis'' || Pará |- |120px || ''Heliconia sarapiquensis'' || Costa Rica, Panama |- |120px || ''Heliconia scarlatina'' || Colombia, Panama, Peru |- |120px || ''Heliconia schiedeana'' || Mexico |- |120px || ''Heliconia schumanniana'' || Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, N Brazil |- | || ''Heliconia sclerotricha'' || Ecuador |- | || ''Heliconia secunda'' || Costa Rica, Nicaragua |- | || ''Heliconia sessilis'' || Panama |- | || ''Heliconia signa-hispanica'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia solomonensis'' || Solomon Islands, Bismarck Archipelago |- | || ''Heliconia spathocircinata'' || South America, Panama, Trinidad |- | || ''Heliconia spiralis'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia spissa'' || S Mexico, Central America |- |120px || ''Heliconia standleyi'' || Ecuador, Peru |- | || ''Heliconia stella-maris'' || Colombia |- |120px || ''Heliconia stilesii'' || Costa Rica, Panama |- |120px || ''Heliconia stricta'' || N South America |- |120px || ''Heliconia subulata'' || South America |- | || ''Heliconia tacarcunae'' || Panama |- |120px || ''Heliconia talamancana'' || Costa Rica, Panama |- | || ''Heliconia tandayapensis'' || Ecuador |- | || ''Heliconia tenebrosa'' || Colombia, NE Peru, NW Brazil |- | || ''Heliconia terciopela'' || Colombia |- |120px || ''Heliconia thomasiana'' || Panama |- | || ''Heliconia timothei'' || NE Peru, NW Brazil |- | || ''Heliconia titanum'' || Colombia |- |120px || ''Heliconia tortuosa'' || S Mexico, Central America |- | || ''Heliconia trichocarpa'' || Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia tridentata'' || Colombia |- | || ''Heliconia triflora'' || B Amazonas |- | || ''Heliconia umbrophila'' || Costa Rica |- | || ''Heliconia uxpanapensis'' || Veracruz |- | || ''Heliconia vaginalis'' || Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador |- |120px || ''Heliconia vellerigera'' || Ecuador, Peru |- |120px || ''Heliconia velutina'' || Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, NW Brazil |- |120px || ''Heliconia venusta'' || Colombia, Ecuador |- | || ''Heliconia villosa'' || Venezuela |- | || ''Heliconia virginalis'' || Ecuador |- |120px || ''Heliconia wagneriana'' || Central America, N South America, Trinidad |- | || ''Heliconia willisiana'' || Pichincha |- | || ''Heliconia wilsonii'' || Costa Rica, Panama |- |120px || ''Heliconia xanthovillosa'' || Panama |- | || ''Heliconia zebrina'' || Peru |- |}

== Distribution and habitat == Most of the 194 known species<ref name="Christenhusz-Byng2016" /> are native to the tropical Americas, but a few are indigenous to certain islands of the western Pacific and Maluku.<ref name="POWO"/> Many species of ''Heliconia'' are found in the tropical forests of these regions. Several species are widely cultivated as ornamentals, and a few are naturalized in Florida, Gambia and Thailand.<ref name="POWO"/>

== Ecology ==

Heliconias are an important food source for forest hummingbirds, especially the hermits (Phathornithinae), some of which &ndash; such as the rufous-breasted hermit (''Glaucis hirsuta'') &ndash; also use the plant for nesting. The Honduran white bat (''Ectophylla alba'') also lives in tents it makes from heliconia leaves.

=== Bats === ==== Pollination ==== Although ''Heliconia'' are almost exclusively pollinated by hummingbirds, some bat pollination has been found to occur. ''Heliconia solomonensis'' is pollinated by the macroglossine bat ''Melonycteris woodfordi'' in the Solomon Islands. ''Heliconia solomonensis'' has green inflorescences and flowers that open at night, which is typical of bat pollinated plants. This bat is the only known nocturnal pollinator of ''Heliconia solomonensis''.<ref name=kress85>{{cite journal|last=Kress|first=W. J.|year=1985|title=Bat Pollination of an Old World Heliconia|journal=Biotropica|volume=17|issue=4|pages=302–308|doi=10.2307/2388592|jstor=2388592|bibcode=1985Biotr..17..302K }}</ref>

==== Habitat ==== Many bats use ''Heliconia'' leaves for shelter. The Honduran white bat, ''Ectophylla alba'', utilizes five species of ''Heliconia'' to make diurnal tent-shaped roosts. The bat cuts the side veins of the leaf extending from the midrib, causing the leaf to fold like a tent. This structure provides the bat with shelter from rain, sun, and predators. In addition, the stems of the ''Heliconia'' leaves are not strong enough to carry the weight of typical bat predators, so shaking of the leaf alerts roosting bats to presence of predators.<ref name=timm76>{{cite journal|last1=Timm|first1=R.W.|last2=Mortimer|first2=J.|year=1976|title=Selection of Roost sited by Honduran White Bats, Ectophylla Alba (Chiroptera: Phyllostomatidae)|journal=Ecology|volume=57|issue=2|pages=385–389|doi=10.2307/1934829|jstor=1934829|bibcode=1976Ecol...57..385T |hdl=1808/4484|url=https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/bitstream/1808/4484/1/Timm-1976-E-57-2-385.pdf|hdl-access=free}}</ref> The bats ''Artibeus anderseni'' and ''A. phaeotis'' form tents from the leaves of ''Heliconia'' in the same manner as the Honduran white bat.<ref name=timm87>{{cite journal|last1=Timm|first1=R.W.|last2=Patterson|first2=B.D.|year=1987|title=Tent Construction by bats of the genera Artibeus and Uroderma|journal=Fieldiana: Zoology|volume=29|pages=188–212}}</ref> The neotropical disk-winged bat, ''Thyroptera tricolor'', has suction disks on the wrists which allow it to cling to the smooth surfaces of the ''Heliconia'' leaves. This bat roosts head-up in the rolled young leaves of ''Heliconia'' plants.<ref name=findley>{{cite journal|last1=Findley|first1=J.S.|last2=Wilson|first2=D.E.|year=1974|title=Observations on the Neotropical disk-winged bat, ''Thyroptera tricolor'' Spix|journal=Journal of Mammalogy|volume=55|issue=3|pages=563–571|doi=10.2307/1379546|pmid=4853410|jstor=1379546|doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Insects===

Heliconias provide shelter for a diverse range of insects within their young rolled leaves and water-filled floral bracts. Insects that inhabit the rolled leaves often feed upon the inner surfaces of the leaf, such as beetles of the family Chrysomelidae. In bracts containing small amounts of water, fly larvae and beetles are the dominant inhabitants. In bracts with greater quantities of water the typical inhabitants are mosquito larva. Insects living in the bracts often feed on the bract tissue, nectar of the flower, flower parts, other insects, microorganisms, or detritus in the water contained in the bract (Siefert 1982). Almost all species of Hispini beetles that use rolled leaves are obligate herbivores of plants of the order of Zingiberales, which includes ''Heliconia''. These beetles live in and feed from the rolled leaf, the stems, the inflorescences, or the unfurled mature leaves of the ''Heliconia'' plant. In addition, these beetles deposit their eggs on the leaf surface, petioles of immature leaves, or in the bracts of the ''Heliconia''.<ref name=strong>{{cite journal|last=Strong Jr.|first=Donald R.|title=Insect Species Richness: Hispine Beetles of the Heliconia Latispatha|journal=Ecology|volume=58|issue=3|pages=573–582|year=1977|doi=10.2307/1939006|jstor=1939006}}</ref> Furthermore, some wasp species such as ''Polistes erythrocephalus'' build their nest on the protected underside of large leaves.<ref name = nelson>{{cite web |url=http://www.ots.ac.cr/rbt/attachments/volumes/vol18-1/07-Nelson-Polistes.pdf|title=Nesting habits and nest symbionts of Polistes erythrocephalus Latreille (Hymenoptera Vespidae) in Costa Rica|access-date=14 October 2014}}</ref>

===Hummingbirds=== Hummingbirds are the main pollinators of heliconia flowers in many locations. The concurrent diversification of hummingbird-pollinated taxa in the order Zingiberales and the hummingbird family (Trochilidae: Phaethorninae) starting 18 million years ago supports the idea that these radiations have influenced one another through evolutionary time.<ref name=bleiweiss>{{cite journal|last=Bleiweiss|first=R.|year=1998|title=Tempo and mode of hummingbird evolution|journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society|volume=65|issue=1|pages=63–76|doi=10.1111/j.1095-8312.1998.tb00351.x|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Kress|first1=W.J.|last2=Specht|first2=Chelsea|date=2005|title=Between cancer and capricorn: phylogeny, evolution, and ecology of the tropical Zingiberales|journal=Proceedings of a Symposium on Plant Diversity and Complexity Patterns - Local, Regional and Global Dimensions|volume=55|pages=459–478}}</ref> At La Selva Research Station in Costa Rica, specific species of ''Heliconia'' were found to have specific hummingbird pollinators.<ref name=stiles>{{cite journal|last=Stiles|first=Gary|year=1975|title=Ecology, flowering phenology, and hummingbird pollination of some Costa Rican "Heliconia" species|journal=Ecology|volume=56|issue=2|pages=285–301|doi=10.2307/1934961|jstor=1934961|bibcode=1975Ecol...56..285S }}</ref> These hummingbirds can be organized into two different groups: hermits and non-hermits. Hermits are the subfamily Phaethornithinae, consisting of the genera ''Anopetia, Eutoxeres, Glaucis, Phaethornis, Ramphodon,'' and ''Threnetes''.<ref name=mcguire>{{cite journal|last1=McGuire|first1=J. A.|first2=C. C.|last2=Witt|first3=J. V.|last3=Remsen Jr.|first4=R.|last4=Dudley|first5=D.L.|last5=Altshuler|year=2008|title=A higher-level taxonomy for hummingbirds|journal=Journal of Ornithology|volume=150|pages=155–165|doi=10.1007/s10336-008-0330-x|s2cid=1918245}}</ref> Non-hermits are a catch-all group of other hummingbirds that often visit heliconias, comprising several clades (McGuire 2008). Hermits are generally traplining foragers; that is, individuals visit a repeated circuit of high-reward flowers instead of holding fixed territories<ref name=stiles/><ref name=dobkin>{{cite journal|last=Dobkin|first=D. S.|year=1984|title=Flowering patterns of long-lived "Heliconia" inflorescences: implications for visiting and resident nectarivores|journal=Oecologia|volume=64|issue=2|pages=245–254|doi=10.1007/bf00376878|pmid=28312346|bibcode=1984Oecol..64..245D|s2cid=10591923}}</ref> Non-hermits are territorial over their ''Heliconia'' clumps, causing greater self-pollination.<ref name=stiles/> Hermits tend to have long curved bills while non-hermits tend to possess short straight bills, a morphological difference that likely spurred the divergence of these groups in the Miocene era.<ref name=graham>{{cite journal|last1=Graham|first1=C. H.|first2=J. L.|last2=Parra|first3=C.|last3=Rahbek|first4=J. A.|last4=McGuire|year=2009|title=Phylogenetic structure in tropical hummingbird communities|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America|volume=106|issue=Suppl 2|pages=19673–19678|doi=10.1073/pnas.0901649106|pmid=19805042|pmc=2780942|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=temeles>{{cite journal|last1=Temeles|first1=E. J.|first2=J. S.|last2=Miller|first3=J. L.|last3=Rifkin|year=2010|title=Evolution of sexual dimorphism in bill size and shape of hermit hummingbirds (Phaethornithinae): a role for ecological causation|journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society|volume=365|issue=1543|pages=1053–1063|doi=10.1098/rstb.2009.0284|pmid=20194168|pmc=2830232}}</ref> Characteristics of ''Heliconia'' flowers that select for either hermit or non-hermit pollinator specificity are degree of self-compatibility, flowering phenology, nectar production, color, and shape of flower.<ref name=kress05>{{cite journal|last1=Kress|first1=W. J.|first2=C. D.|last2=Specht|year=2005|title=Between Cancer and Capricorn: phylogeny, evolution and ecology of the primarily tropical Zingiberales|journal=Biologiske Skrifter|volume=55|pages=459–478}}</ref><ref name=melendez>{{cite journal|last1=Meléndez-Ackerman|first1=E. J.|first2=P.|last2=Speranza|first3=W. J.|last3=Kress|first4=L.|last4=Rohena|first5=E.|last5=Toledo|first6=C.|last6=Cortés|first7=D.|last7=Treece|first8=M.|last8=Gitzendanner|first9=P.|last9=Soltis|first10=D.|last10=Soltis|year=2005|title=Microevolutionary processes inferred from AFLP and morphological variation in Heliconia bihai (Heliconiaceae)|journal=International Journal of Plant Sciences|volume=166|issue=5|pages=781–794|doi=10.1086/431231|s2cid=84110783}}</ref><ref name=graham/> The hummingbird itself will choose the plants its feeds from on the basis of its beak shape, its perch on the plant, and its territory choice.<ref name=linhart>{{cite journal|last=Linhart|first=Yan|year=1973|title=Ecological and behavioral determinants of pollen dispersal in hummingbird- pollinated Heliconia|journal=The American Naturalist|volume=107|issue=956|pages=511–523|doi=10.1086/282854|bibcode=1973ANat..107..511L |s2cid=83563223}}</ref>

Hummingbird visits to the ''Heliconia'' flower do not affect its production of nectar.<ref name=feinsinger83>{{cite journal|last=Feinsinger|first=Peter|year=1983|title=Variable nectar secretion in a Heliconia species pollinated by hermit hummingbirds|journal=Biotropica|volume=15|issue=1|pages=48–52|doi=10.2307/2387998|jstor=2387998|bibcode=1983Biotr..15...48F }}</ref> This may account for the flowers not having a consistent amount of nectar produced from flower to flower.

Different ''Heliconia'' species have different flowering seasons. This suggests that the species compete for pollinators. Many species of ''Heliconia'', even the newly colonized species, are visited by many different pollinators.<ref name=feinsinger78>{{cite journal|last=Feinsinger|first=Peter|year=1978|title=Ecological interactions between plants and hummingbirds in a successional tropical community|journal=Ecological Monographs|volume=48|issue=3|pages=269–287|doi=10.2307/2937231|jstor=2937231|bibcode=1978EcoM...48..269F }}</ref>

== Cultivation ==

Several cultivars and hybrids have been selected for garden planting, including: * ''H. psittacorum'' × ''H. spathocircinata'', both species of South America, mainly Brazil * ''H. × rauliniana'' = ''H. marginata'' (Venezuela) × ''H. bihai'' (Brazil) * ''H. chartacea'' cv. 'Sexy Pink'

Most commonly grown landscape ''Heliconia'' species include ''H. augusta, H. bihai, H. brasiliensis, H. caribaea, H. latispatha, H. pendula, H. psittacorum, H. rostrata, H. schiediana, ''and'' H. wagneriana''.

== Uses ==

Heliconias are grown for the florist's trade and as landscape plants. These plants do not grow well in cold, dry conditions. They are very drought intolerant, but can endure some soil flooding. Heliconias need an abundance of water, sunlight, and soils that are rich in humus in order to grow well. These flowers are grown in tropical regions all over the world as ornamental plants.<ref name=ong>{{cite web|last=Ong|first=Chong Ren|title=Heliconia Basics|website=Green Culture Singapore|date=March 2007|url=http://www.greenculturesg.com/heliconia-basics.html|access-date=2019-02-11|archive-date=2019-03-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190312134026/http://www.greenculturesg.com/heliconia-basics.html}}</ref> The flower of ''H. psittacorum'' (parrot heliconia) is especially distinctive, its greenish-yellow flowers with black spots and red bracts reminiscent of the bright plumage of parrots.

== Gallery == <gallery> File:Heliconia rostrata 4.jpg|''Heliconia rostrata'' in a botanical garden, Costa Rica File:Heliconia wagneriana in Florida.jpg|''Heliconia wagneriana'' in Florida File:Heliconia sp by Wilder.JPG|''Heliconia'' sp. in tropical rain forest at Sierra del Escambray, Cuba File:Heliconia sp2 by Wilder.JPG|''Heliconia'' sp. in tropical rain forest at Sierra del Escambray, Cuba File:Heliconia by Averthanath Babu.jpg|''Heliconia psittacorum'' in Lagos, Nigeria File:Starr 070906-8370 Heliconia stricta.jpg|''Heliconia stricta'' (Dwarf Jamaican) leaf at a nursery on Maui

</gallery>

==See also== * National Tropical Botanical Garden, designated a conservation center by the Heliconia Society International

== References == {{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography== {{Refbegin}} * {{cite journal|last1=Iles|first1=William J.D.|last2=Sass|first2=Chodon|last3=Lagomarsino|first3=Laura|last4=Benson-Martin|first4=Gracie|last5=Driscoll|first5=Heather|last6=Specht|first6=Chelsea D.|title=The phylogeny of ''Heliconia'' (Heliconiaceae) and the evolution of floral presentation|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|volume=117|pages=150–167|date=December 2016|doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2016.12.001|pmid=27998817|bibcode=2017MolPE.117..150I |url=https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3078&context=biosci_pubs |url-access=subscription}} * {{cite journal|last1=Sass|first1=C|last2=Iles|first2=WJ|last3=Barrett|first3=CF|last4=Smith|first4=SY|last5=Specht|first5=CD|title=Revisiting the Zingiberales: using multiplexed exon capture to resolve ancient and recent phylogenetic splits in a charismatic plant lineage.|journal=PeerJ|date=21 January 2016|volume=4|article-number=e1584|pmid=26819846|doi=10.7717/peerj.1584|ref={{harvid|Sass et al|2016}}|pmc=4727956|doi-access=free}} {{Refend}}

==External links== {{Commons}} * [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1200&taxon_id=20600 ''Monocot families'' (USDA)] * [http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/gateway_family?fam=Heliconiaceae links at CSDL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071121134650/http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/gateway_family?fam=Heliconiaceae |date=2007-11-21 }} * [https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&subview=map&taxon_id=84964 Heliconia observations at iNaturalist]

{{Zingiberales}} {{Angiosperm families}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q624242}} {{Authority control}}

Category:Heliconia Category:Zingiberales genera Category:Garden plants of Australasia Category:Garden plants of North America Category:Garden plants of South America