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October 11, 2007 : Heliconia stricta (tentative)

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Keywords: Heliconiaceae | Heliconia stricta Huber | cultivated in Costa Rica

Heliconia stricta

Thank you once again to Earl B. of the USA for sharing another one of his photographs, this time from a vacation to Costa Rica. Much appreciated!

If my identification is correct, and it may not be considering there are over a hundred species of Heliconia as well as a number of cultivars, this is Heliconia stricta. Sometimes commonly known as dwarf Jamaican heliconia, it is not native to Jamaica but rather northern and western South America as well as Brazil. Like many Heliconia species, however, it is cultivated as an ornamental throughout the Caribbean.

The family Heliconiaceae belongs to the order Zingiberales, meaning it is related to bananas (Musaceae), true gingers (Zingiberaceae), birds-of-paradise (Strelitziaceae) and cannas (Cannaceae).

To view some of the diversity within the family, visit the Heliconia gallery at Project Amazonas or the Heliconiaceae page at the commercial Montoso Gardens in Puerto Rico (note: this isn't an endorsement of their commercial services).

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at October 11, 2007 8:23 AM

Comments

...or read recent comments on all BPotD Entries

tis a handsome picture daniel
sits so grand in the leaves most interesting
leaves the links are just fine birds of
paradise are well known here in my part of forida
the bird comes in a lot of colours and the
comment about it being a part of the canna family
thank you earl b handsome site

Posted by: elizabeth a airhart at October 11, 2007 2:41 PM

The clarity of the red is beautiful. One does not see the intensity in New England of red flowers. It is as if the flower was polished.
A wonderful photograph.
Thank you,
Margaret-Rae

Posted by: Margaret-Rae Davis at October 11, 2007 4:29 PM

Stunning flowers and a very interesting plant family. I've seen various heliconia species in the Caribbean and other tropical parts of the world, and I remember how surprised I was when I first saw one. It was so unusual -- large, stiff and waxy, and vividly coloured.

Posted by: Mary Ann, in Toronto at October 11, 2009 10:30 AM

Please share your comments about the photograph(s) and accompanying write-up. Telling a story about the subject of the photograph(s) is also much appreciated! If you have a gardening question, the best place to ask is on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Thank you!

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Botany Photo of the Day and associated images by UBC Botanical Garden staff are licensed under a Creative Commons License. Images and text by non-UBC contributors are copyright the respective photographers / authors (but often have Creative Commons licenses if contributed via Flickr).

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Botany Photo of the Day is a project of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, located in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. UBC BGCPR is a department of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems within The University of British Columbia.