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Heliconia psittacorum L.F.

Parakeetflower (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Zingiberales > Heliconiaceae > Heliconia

Characteristics

Slender herbs with the habit of a Canna, 1-3 m. tall; leaves oblong-lanceolate, rounded at the base, rather gradually acuminate, 15-30 cm. long, 6-12 cm. broad; inflorescence erect, the peduncle slender, 3-15 cm. long, minutely puberu-lent to glabrate, the rachis slightly flexuous; bracts narrowly lanceolate, long-acuminate, 3-12 cm. long, 1.0-1.5 cm. broad, sharply ascending in flower, laxly spreading in fruit, membranaceous, minutely puberulent to glabrate, green to yellow or red, frequently variegated; perianth about 2 cm. long, yellow or white tipped with green, minutely puberulent to glabrate; fruits broadly oblongoid, about 1 cm. long and broad, deep blue-purple.
More
A herb which has a rhizome or underground stem. It grows 1-2 m high. It can spread 50-80 cm wide. The leaves are banana like. The stems are slender. The leaves are 50 cm long and 10 cm wide. The edges of the leaves and the stalks are often red. The flowering stalk is erect. It is at the top of the plant. The flower stalk is 30 cm long. The flowers are orange to pale yellow.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 0.5 - 0.8
Mature height (meter) 1.0 - 2.0
Root system rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

A tropical plant. It grows partly in water. It does well in moist to wet and humid zones. It needs fertile, humus-rich soil. It can grow in full sun or light shade. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In Cairns Botanical Garden.
Light 4-9
Soil humidity 5-7
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 10-11

Usage

The shoots are eaten. The rhizome is crushed and eaten raw.
Uses environmental use medicinal
Edible rhizomes roots shoots
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds and division of the rhizome.
Mode divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Heliconia psittacorum habit picture by siviero sophia (cc-by-sa)
Heliconia psittacorum habit picture by pedrogc -- (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Heliconia psittacorum leaf picture by ricardofreitas.jr (cc-by-sa)
Heliconia psittacorum leaf picture by Philippe VINCENT (cc-by-sa)
Heliconia psittacorum leaf picture by R. Tournebize (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Heliconia psittacorum flower picture by Getúlio Falcão Getúlio Falcão (cc-by-sa)
Heliconia psittacorum flower picture by Joe Bloggs (cc-by-sa)
Heliconia psittacorum flower picture by samper johanna (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Heliconia psittacorum fruit picture by Silva Mário Júnior (cc-by-sa)
Heliconia psittacorum fruit picture by Daniel Barthelemy (cc-by-nc)
Heliconia psittacorum fruit picture by Daniel Barthelemy (cc-by-nc)

Distribution

Heliconia psittacorum world distribution map, present in Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Cook Islands, Dominica, Gambia, Guyana, Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico, Paraguay, Suriname, Thailand, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:796972-1
WFO ID wfo-0000438567
COL ID 3K8SH
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 447822
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Bihai cannoidea Heliconia cannoidea Musa humilis Heliconia andrewsii Heliconia bahiensis Heliconia humilis Heliconia marantifolia Bihai humilis Bihai psittacorum Bihai sylvestris Heliconia schomburgkiana Heliconia ballia Heliconia sylvestris Heliconia goiasensis Heliconia swartziana Heliconia hirsuta var. cannoidea Heliconia brasiliensis var. concolor Heliconia psittacorum var. rhizomatosa Heliconia psittacorum var. robusta Heliconia psittacorum var. spathacea Heliconia psittacorum
WorldFloraDB 2024