English: Parakeetflower; Parrot’s Beak; Parrot’s Flower; Parrot’s Plant; Parrot’s Tonque.
3-633.45.09
Heliconia psittacorumNames: Parakeetflower; Heliconia Parakeetflower; Parrot’s Beak; Parrot’s Flower; Parrot’s Plant; Parrot’s Tonque; Popokaytongo.
Mythology: Gaia protecting her children against Uranos; parrots.
DD:
Uranium,
Plutonium, Placenta.
Region: Central and South America, Amazon rainforest, South Pacific.
Clades:
Angiospermae,
Lilianae,
Liliidae,
Commelinoids,
Zingiberales,
Stage 9.
Botany: flowers are highly modified leaves and bracts, up to 1 m tall; leaves long pointed, shiny green; bracts pinkish-red, beautiful, frosty cream colored, shading from pinkish-red to mauve to the tips, arising from a central point on the stem; flowers have 3, 4 to 1 inch long peduncles that rise above the pointed bracts; sepals cream colored with green-black bands; abundant blooming all year long, flowers lasting up to several months; like places with a lot of water, rich soil, and sunlight; in moist or wet regions, humid lowland tropics, in middle elevation rain and cloud forest habitats; does best in warm, humid areas; red, yellow, pink and orange are pollinated by hummingbirds, green heliconias by bats.
Use: leaves for roof thatching; food wrappers.
SourcesFrom National Tropical Botanic Garden: http: //ntbg.org/plants/plant_details.php?plantid=5957.
and http: //www.jaycjayc.com/heliconia-species.