Heliconia psittacorum

Heliconia psittacorum (parrot's beak, parakeet flower, parrot's flower, parrot's plantain, false bird-of-paradise) is a perennial herb native to the Caribbean and South America. It is considered native to French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. It is reportedly naturalized in Gambia, Thailand, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Jamaica and the Lesser Antilles.^[2] It is often cultivated as a tropical ornamental plant in regions outside its native range.

Heliconia psittacorum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Zingiberales
Family:	Heliconiaceae
Genus:	Heliconia
Species:	H. psittacorum
Binomial name
Heliconia psittacorum L.f.
Synonyms[1]
Bihai cannoidea (A.Rich.) Kuntze Bihai humilis (Aubl.) Griggs Bihai psittacorum (L.f.) Kuntze Bihai sylvestris Gleason Heliconia andrewsii Klotzsch Heliconia bahiensis Barreiros Heliconia ballia Rich. Heliconia brasiliensis var. concolor Petersen Heliconia cannoidea A.Rich. Heliconia goiasensis Barreiros Heliconia hirsuta var. cannoidea (A.Rich.) Baker Heliconia humilis (Aubl.) Jacq. Heliconia marantifolia G.Shaw Heliconia psittacorum var. rhizomatosa Aristeg. Heliconia psittacorum var. robusta Eichler ex Petersen Heliconia psittacorum var. spathacea Eichler ex Petersen Heliconia schomburgkiana Klotzsch Heliconia swartziana Roem. & Schult. Heliconia sylvestris (Gleason) L.B.Sm. Musa humilis Aubl.

Heliconia psittacorum L.f. (Hawaii, Maui)

Description

Heliconia psittacorum can grow 1 - 2 meters tall. The leaves are lanceolate to elliptical, and are similar to banana leaves.

The flower has both male parts (anthers) and female parts (stigma and pistil), also referred to as a monoecious angiosperm.^{[3][4][5][6][7]} The inflorescence is erect, consisting of red bracts and pale-yellow tubular flowers.