''Heliconia rostrata'', the hanging lobster claw or false bird of paradise, is a herbaceous

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

native to El Salvador,

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

, Bolivia, Colombia,

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, Costa Rica, and

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

, and naturalized in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

. Other

heliconia ''Heliconia'', derived from the Greek word (), 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 we ...

s grow in an upright position (e.g. ''

Heliconia bihai ''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 fo ...

''), their cup-shaped flower bracts storing water for birds and insects. This plant, however, has downward-facing flowers, the flowers thus providing a source of nectar to birds.Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. (eds.) 1993. Catalogue of the Flowering Plants and Gymnosperms of Peru. Monographs in systematic botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 45: i–xl, 1–1286. Heliconias are known to those who grow them as a host flower to many birds, especially the hummingbirds. Because of its unique characteristics, it is often used as a specimen for tropical gardens. Along with the Kantuta flower, ''Heliconia rostrata'', known as ''patujú'', is the national flower of Bolivia.

Gallery

File:Heliconia_rostrata_with_ants_01.jpg File:Heliconia_rostrata_with_ants_02.jpg File:Heliconia_rostrata_close_up.jpg File:Heliconia_rostrata_close_up_with_ants.jpg File:Heliconia rostrata in Malaysia.jpg File:Lobster claws flower at peak season at the campus of Ramakrishna Mission Shikshanamandira.jpg

References

External links

Heliconia rostrata observations on iNaturalist

rostrata Rostratus (masculine), rostrata (feminine) or rostratum (neuter) is a Latin adjective meaning "beaked, curved, hooked, with a crooked point, or with a curved front". In marine warfare, the term ''beak'' (''rostrum'') referred to the ram bows on wa ...

Flora of Bolivia Flora of Peru Flora of Colombia Flora of Puerto Rico Flora of Ecuador Garden plants Plants described in 1802 National symbols of Bolivia Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Zingiberales-stub