Angiosperms (Flowering Plants) • Earth.com

Heliconia vellerigera

(Heliconia vellerigera)

galery
en

Description

Heliconia vellerigera is a plant species in the family Heliconiaceae, native to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Costa Rica. It is a large herb up to 6 m (20 feet) tall with a pendulous inflorescence of 20-30 red-orange bracts covered with cinnamon-colored hairs. Heliconia, derived from the Greek word (helikṓnios), is a genus of flowering plants in the monotypic family Heliconiaceae. Most of the ca 194 known species are native to the tropical Americas, but a few are indigenous to certain islands of the western Pacific and Maluku.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.Several species are widely cultivated as ornamentals, and a few are naturalized in Florida, Gambia, and Thailand. 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 (Strelitzia). Collectively, these plants are also simply referred to as "heliconias".

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum:
Class: Liliopsida
Order:Zingiberales
Family:Heliconiaceae
Genus:Heliconia
News coming your way
The biggest news about our planet delivered to you each day