hanging heliconia plant Heliconia Hanging Lobster Claw

Botanical Name: Heliconia rostrata

Native Region/Environment: Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador and Peru in the margins of humid tropical forests typically along water ways.

 Sun/Light: Direct morning light, bright indirect, dappled light or part shade.

Temperature: For an evergreen perennial 65F minimum or zone 10b-12; but as an annual rhizome over-winter or protect the rhizome above freezing.  Therefore, with either good in-ground protection or an interior heated greenhouse or garage it will survive most temperate winters.

Water: Consistent moisture but not standing water.

Soil: Organically rich, consistently moist, well draining and not soggy.  Better to permit the soil to dry than to leave in standing water to avoid root rot. 

Growth Pattern: The leaves emerge from a subterranean rhizome and grow alternately forming a strong false trunk from the sturdy petioles.  The leaves themselves are oblong shaped 1'-4' in length and approximately 8"-12" wide.

Mature Size: Fast growing, dense clumps of entangled rhizomatous roots reaching 15' in the wild, but rarely half that height in domesticated cultivation.

Attributes: The unique pendant and brilliantly colored flowers which can reach lengths of over 2', are highly prized not only for their brilliant colors but also their longevity of possibly 2 months, even as a cut flower.

Attractor: Abundant, long lasting nectar attracts a wide host of pollinators, insects and hummingbirds.

Pot: Ships as a trimmed, bareroot rhizome.