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Heliconia bihai
Also called Macaw Flower, Wild Banana, Firebird, Wild Plantain, Lobster Claw Heliconia
Heliconia bihai is a large, clump-forming tropical herb with upright, banana-like leaves and bright red, boat-shaped bracts, grown mainly for its ornamental flowers. It thrives in warm, humid, frost-free conditions with consistent moisture and bright light.
Heliconia bihai (red palulu) of the family Heliconiaceae is an erect herb typically growing taller than 1.5 m. It is native to northern South America and the West Indies. It is especially common in northern Brazil and the Guianas but also found in Hispaniola, Jamaica, the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Venezuela and Colombia. Other names by which the plant is commonly known include balisier and macawflower.
This plant is used as an ornamental plant in hot regions with a humid climate (USDA zone 9-11), and is typically pollinated by bats and hummingbirds.
False Bird Of Paradise · Christmas Heliconia · Pink Flamingo Heliconia · Platanillo · Heliconia episcopalis · Heliconia hirsuta · Heliconia indica · Expanded lobsterclaw · False bird of paradise · Fire Bird · Kitty Kat Heliconia · Heliconias
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Heliconia bihai by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
