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Heliconia bihai

(Lobster Claw, Macaw Flower, Macawflower)

Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Bastard Plantain, Firebird, Lobster Claw, Macaw Flower, Macaw-Flower, Macawflower, Wild Plantain

Common Names in French:

Balisier

Description

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Family Heliconiaceae

Herbs, perennial , from rhizomes. True aerial stems absent or weak and concealed in pseudostem. Leaves basal or basal and cauline, in 2 ranks , differentiated into basal sheath, petiole , and blade ; sheaths overlapping, forming unbranched pseudostem, open, ligule absent; summit of petiole not differentiated; blade with lateral veins parallel, diverging from prominent midrib . Inflorescences 1 per aerial shoot, projecting from tip of pseudostem, pedunculate racemes of several- to many-flowered monochasial cymes (cincinni) ; bracts of main axis enclosing cincinni. Flowers bisexual , bilaterally symmetric ; sepals and petals scarcely differentiated, sepals 3, petals 3, 2 sepals and 3 petals fused, remaining sepal distinct; fertile stamens 5, not petal-like; anthers 2-locular; 1 rudimentary staminode opposite free sepal; ovary inferior, 3-carpellate, 3-locular, all locules fertile; placentation basal; ovules 1 per locule; style standing away from stamens and staminode, filiform , stigma capitate or 3-lobed. Fruits 1--3-seeded drupes, sepals not persistent in fruit. Seeds: aril absent, endosperm copious , perisperm copious, embryo straight. x = 12.

Genus Genera 1, species 225 (1 species in the flora ) : introduced ; North America, Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, and Oceania.

The Bird-of-paradise, Strelitzia reginae Aiton, of the closely related family Strelitziaceae, is an acaulescent rhizomatous herb often cultivated in the western and southern United States. It is not known to reproduce outside of cultivation, but it can persist for very long periods on abandoned ground in southern California. Its leaves are in two ranks; the sheaths do not overlap and do not form a pseudostem. The petioles are long, and the blades are glabrous but often strongly glaucous, and have parallel lateral veins diverging from a prominent midrib. The inflorescence is a single cincinnus, enclosed within a large bract, with the mature flowers projecting laterally. The perianth is large and showy, with three orange sepals and three dark blue petals; one petal is short, the other two are long and enfold the style and the five fertile stamens, forming a prominent arrow-shaped structure. The fruit is a many-seeded capsule.W. John Kress, Alan T. Whittemore "Heliconiaceae". in Flora of North America Vol. 22. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Genus Heliconia

Plants : pseudostems erect , in groups of [1--]5--50. Leaves: petiole long [short or nearly absent], base of blade unequal on either side of midrib . Inflorescences terminal , erect [pendent], raceme of cincinni; cincinni spiral [2-ranked]; cincinnal bract ± enclosing each cincinnus, brightly colored , leaflike. Flowers each subtended by membranous floral bract. Fruits blue [rarely red or orange] at maturity. Seeds surrounded by stony, roughened endocarp (pyrenes). x = 12.

Species 225: introduced , North America (Fla.) ; Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, and Pacific Islands (Oceania).; introduced in Florida.

Several species of Heliconia are important ornamental and landscape plants in warmer areas of North America (e.g. , Florida, Texas, and California). In addition to H. latispatha, three other species, H. psittacorum Linnaeus f., H. metallica Planchon & Linden ex Hooker, and H. schiedeana Klotzsch, may persist after cultivation and might be expected to disperse occasionally into disturbed areas. The first two species are much smaller than H. latispatha and all have flowers that are fully exposed at anthesis . Heliconia metallica has deep rose red flowers, whereas H. psittacorum has yellow or orange flowers. Heliconia schiedeana has red, strongly reflexed bracts and yellow flowers. All of the New World species of Heliconia are hummingbird pollinated."Heliconia". in Flora of North America Vol. 22 Page 300. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Physical Description

Habit: Evergreen .

Flowers: Bloom Period: blooms repeatedly • Flower Color: light blue, pale yellow, red

Size/Age/Growth

Size: 4-6' tall.

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,624 meters (0 to 8,609 feet).Mean = 324.020 meters (1,063.058 feet), Standard Deviation = 531.980 based on 125 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre.

Biology

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Growth

Culture: Space 4-6' apart.

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 9b, 10a, 10b, 11. (map)

Taxonomy

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Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Bignonia venusta Ker-Gawl.
  2. Bihai bihai (L.) Griggs
  3. Musa bihai L.
  4. Pyrostegia ignea (Vell.) K. Presl


Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000.

Place of publication : Mant. pl. 2:211. 1767

Name verified on 14-Jun-2000 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 14-Jun-2000.

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Heliconia

There are approximately 489 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

H. 'Bucky' · H. 'Bushmaster' · H. 'Criswick' (Heliconia) · H. 'Fire and Ice' · H. 'Golden Torch' · H. 'Guyana Red' · H. 'Guyana' · H. 'Richmond Red' (Lobster Claw) · H. abaloi · H. acuminata (Heliconia) · H. acuminata immaculata · H. acuminata occidentalis · H. acuminata subsp. immaculata · H. acuminata subsp. occidentalis · H. acuminata subsp. psittacorastra · H. adeliana · H. adflexa · H. aemygdiana · H. aemygdiana subsp. transandina · H. aemygdiana transandina · H. aequatoriensis · H. affinis · H. alba · H. albicosta · H. allenii · H. andina · H. andrewsii · H. angelica · H. angusta (Christmas Heliconia) · H. angusta 'Holiday' · H. angusta 'Red Holiday' (Red Holiday False Bird of Paradise) · H. angusta 'Yellow Christmas' · H. angustifolia · H. antioquiensis · H. apparicioi · H. aristeguietae · H. arrecta · H. atratensis · H. atropurpurea · H. augusta · H. aurantiaca · H. aurea · H. aureo-rosea · H. aureo-striata · H. auriculata · H. aurorea · H. austro-caledonica · H. badilloi · H. bahiensis · H. ballia · H. barqueta · H. barryana · H. beckneri · H. bella · H. berriziana · H. berryi · H. biahy · H. bicolor · H. bidentata · H. bihai (Lobster Claw) · H. bihai 'Island Yellow' (Firebird) · H. bihai 'Lobster Claw Two' · H. bihai (L.) L. 'Arawak' · H. birdiana · H. boliviana · H. borinquena · H. boultoniana · H. bourgaeana · H. brachyantha · H. brasiliensis · H. brasiliensis var. concolor · H. brenneri · H. brevispatha · H. buccinata · H. burchellii · H. burle-marxii · H. burleana · H. calatheaphylla · H. calatheiphylla · H. calathephylla · H. cannoidea · H. cannoidea var. villosa · H. caquetensis · H. carajaensis · H. cararensis · H. cardenasii · H. caribaea (Lobster Claw) · H. caribaea 'Black Magic' · H. caribaea 'Purpurea' · H. caribaea x H. bihai · H. caribaea x H. bihai 'Jacquinii' · H. caribea · H. carmelae · H. catheta · H. champneiana · H. chartacea · H. chartacea 'Sexy Pink' (Pink Flamingo Heliconia) · H. chartacea var. meeana · H. chiriquina · H. choconiana

Bibliography

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  • Andersson, L. 1985. Revision of Heliconia subgen. Stenochlamys (Musaceae-Heliconioideae). Opera Bot. 82: 5--123.
  • Andersson, L. 1992. Revision of Heliconia subgen. Taeniostrobus and subgen. Heliconia (Musaceae-Heliconioideae). Opera Bot. 111: 1--98.
  • Berry, F. and W. J. Kress. 1991. Heliconia: An Identification Guide. Washington.
  • Daniels, G. S. and F. G. Stiles. 1979. The Heliconia taxa of Costa Rica. Keys and descriptions. Brenesia 15(suppl.): 1--150.
  • Kress, W. J. 1984. Systematics of Central American Heliconia (Heliconiaceae) with pendent inflorescences. J. Arnold Arbor. 65: 429--532.

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    Notes

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    Contributors

    Data Sources

    Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 25, 2007:

    Identifiers

    Footnotes

    Last Revised: 2008-08-23