Heliconia bihai - Giant Lobster Claw Heliconiaceae - Maui Hawaii
by Sharon Mau
Title
Heliconia bihai - Giant Lobster Claw Heliconiaceae - Maui Hawaii
Artist
Sharon Mau
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Heliconia bihai - Giant Lobster Claw Heliconiaceae - Maui Hawaii
The inflorescence may be over 2 feet long. Bracts are rosy pink, fading into yellow at the rachis, with a thick green border. Blooms from December to May. Can grow in partial shade to full sun.
The bright greenish-yellow bracts of Rainbow Heliconia, daubed with sizable rouge cheeks, are a visual feast. Its long pointed bracts arch with a particularly pleasing curvature. Its fan shaped clumps, up to 12 feet high, thrive as well in Hawaii as in its native Costa Rica and Panama. Full sun, ample water, warm air, high humidity, and good soil are all it needs. However, in blooming season, March to May, is short; current research is aimed at expanding its period of availability.
This is a beautiful print. We have many varieties of Heliconia blooming on Maui. If you are interested in a particular variety or colour simply drop me a note and let me know.
Heliconia, derived from the Greek word helikonios, is a genus of about 100 to 200 species of flowering plants native to the tropical Americas and the Pacific Ocean islands west to Indonesia. Many species of Heliconia are found in rainforests or tropical wet forests of these regions. Common names for the genus include lobster-claws, wild plantains or false bird-of-paradise. The last term refers to their close similarity to the bird-of-paradise flowers (Strelitzia). Collectively, these plants are also simply referred to as heliconias.
The Heliconia are a monophyletic genus in the family Heliconiaceae, but was formerly included in the family Musaceae, which includes the bananas (e.g., Musa, Ensete; Judd et. al, 2007). However, the APG system of 1998, and its successor, the APG II system of 2003, confirms the Heliconiaceae as distinct and places them in the order Zingiberales, in the commelinid clade of monocots.
These herbaceous plants range from 0.5 to nearly 4.5 meters (1.5-15 feet) tall depending on the species (Berry and Kress, 1991). The simple leaves of these plants are 15-300 cm (6 in-10 ft). They are characteristically long, oblong, alternate, or growing opposite one another on non-woody petioles often longer than the leaf, often forming large clumps with age. 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. The plants typically flower during the wet season. Information source: Wikipedia
Heliconia bihai - Giant Lobster Claw Heliconiaceae
Maui Hawaii
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Uploaded
March 4th, 2012
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