Heliconia is agenus offlowering plants in the monotypic familyHeliconiaceae. Most of the 194 known species[3] are native to the tropicalAmericas, but a few are indigenous to certain islands of the westernPacific andMaluku inIndonesia.[2] Many species ofHeliconia are found in thetropical forests of these regions. Most species are listed as either vulnerable or data deficient by theIUCN Red List of threatened species.[4] Several species are widely cultivated as ornamentals, and a few are naturalized inFlorida,Gambia, andThailand.[2]
Common names for the genus includelobster-claws,toucan beak,wild plantain, orfalse bird-of-paradise; the last term refers to their close similarity to thebird-of-paradise flowers in the genusStrelitzia. Collectively, these plants are also simply referred to as "heliconias".
Heliconia originated in theLate Eocene (39 Ma) and are the oldest known clade of hummingbird-pollinated plants.[5]
The simpleleaves of these plants are 15–300 cm (6 in–10 ft). They are characteristically long, oblong, alternate, or growing opposite one another on nonwoody petioles often longer than the leaf, often forming large clumps with age.[7] The leaves in different positions on the plant have a different absorption potential of sunlight for photosynthesis when exposed to different degrees of sunlight.[8] They also look like lobster claws.
Heliconia rostrata growing in West Bengal, IndiaH. rostrata inflorescence close up
Theirflowers are produced on long, erect or droopingpanicles, and consist of brightly colored, waxy bracts, with small true flowers peeping out from the bracts. The growth habit of heliconias is similar toCanna,Strelitzia, andbananas, to which they are related. The flowers can be hues of reds, oranges, yellows, and greens, and are subtended by brightly colored bracts.[7]
The flowers' shape often limits pollination to a subset of thehummingbirds in the region. They also produce ample nectar that attract these birds.[7][9]
Fruits are blue-purple when ripe and primarily bird dispersed.[10] Studies of post-dispersal seed survival showed that seed size was not a determinant. The highest amount of seed predation came from mammals.[11]
Most of the 194 known species[3] are native to the tropical Americas, but a few are indigenous to certain islands of the western Pacific andMaluku.[2] Many species ofHeliconia are found in thetropical forests of these regions. Several species are widely cultivated as ornamentals, and a few are naturalized inFlorida,Gambia andThailand.[2]
Heliconias are an important food source for foresthummingbirds, especially thehermits (Phathornithinae), some of which – such as therufous-breasted hermit (Glaucis hirsuta) – also use the plant for nesting. TheHonduran white bat (Ectophylla alba) also lives in tents it makes from heliconia leaves.
AlthoughHeliconia are almost exclusively pollinated by hummingbirds, some bat pollination has been found to occur.Heliconia solomonensis is pollinated by the macroglossine batMelonycteris woodfordi in theSolomon Islands.Heliconia solomonensis has green inflorescences and flowers that open at night, which is typical of bat pollinated plants. This bat is the only known nocturnal pollinator ofHeliconia solomonensis.[15]
Many bats useHeliconia leaves for shelter. The Honduran white bat,Ectohylla alba, utilizes five species ofHeliconia to make diurnal tent-shaped roosts. The bat cuts the side veins of the leaf extending from the midrib, causing the leaf to fold like a tent. This structure provides the bat with shelter from rain, sun, and predators. In addition, the stems of theHeliconia leaves are not strong enough to carry the weight of typical bat predators, so shaking of the leaf alerts roosting bats to presence of predators.[16] The batsArtibeus anderseni andA. phaeotis form tents from the leaves ofHeliconia in the same manner as the Honduran white bat.[17] The neotropical disk-winged bat,Thyroptera tricolor, has suction disks on the wrists which allow it to cling to the smooth surfaces of theHeliconia leaves. This bat roosts head-up in the rolled young leaves ofHeliconia plants.[18]
Heliconias provide shelter for a diverse range of insects within their young rolled leaves and water-filled floral bracts. Insects that inhabit the rolled leaves often feed upon the inner surfaces of the leaf, such as beetles of the familyChrysomelidae. In bracts containing small amounts of water, fly larvae and beetles are the dominant inhabitants. In bracts with greater quantities of water the typical inhabitants are mosquito larva. Insects living in the bracts often feed on the bract tissue, nectar of the flower, flower parts, other insects, microorganisms, or detritus in the water contained in the bract (Siefert 1982). Almost all species ofHispini beetles that use rolled leaves are obligate herbivores of plants of the order ofZingiberales, which includesHeliconia. These beetles live in and feed from the rolled leaf, the stems, the inflorescences, or the unfurled mature leaves of theHeliconia plant. In addition, these beetles deposit their eggs on the leaf surface, petioles of immature leaves, or in the bracts of theHeliconia.[19] Furthermore, some wasp species such asPolistes erythrocephalus build their nest on the protected underside of large leaves.[20]
Hummingbirds are the main pollinators of heliconia flowers in many locations. The concurrent diversification of hummingbird-pollinated taxa in the order Zingiberales and the hummingbird family (Trochilidae: Phaethorninae) starting 18 million years ago supports the idea that these radiations have influenced one another through evolutionary time.[21][22] At La Selva Research Station inCosta Rica, specific species ofHeliconia were found to have specific hummingbird pollinators.[23] These hummingbirds can be organized into two different groups: hermits and non-hermits. Hermits are the subfamilyPhaethornithinae, consisting of the generaAnopetia,Eutoxeres,Glaucis,Phaethornis,Ramphodon, andThrenetes.[24] Non-hermits are a catch-all group of other hummingbirds that often visit heliconias, comprising severalclades (McGuire 2008). Hermits are generally traplining foragers; that is, individuals visit a repeated circuit of high-reward flowers instead of holding fixed territories[23][25] Non-hermits are territorial over theirHeliconia clumps, causing greater self-pollination.[23] Hermits tend to have long curved bills while non-hermits tend to possess short straight bills, a morphological difference that likely spurred the divergence of these groups in theMiocene era.[26][27] Characteristics ofHeliconia flowers that select for either hermit or non-hermit pollinator specificity are degree of self-compatibility, floweringphenology, nectar production, color, and shape of flower.[28][29][26] The hummingbird itself will choose the plants its feeds from on the basis of its beak shape, its perch on the plant, and its territory choice.[30]
Hummingbird visits to theHeliconia flower do not affect its production of nectar.[31] This may account for the flowers not having a consistent amount of nectar produced from flower to flower.
DifferentHeliconia species have different flowering seasons. This suggests that the species compete for pollinators. Many species ofHeliconia, even the newly colonized species, are visited by many different pollinators.[32]
Severalcultivars andhybrids have been selected for garden planting, including:
H. psittacorum ×H. spathocircinata, both species ofSouth America, mainlyBrazil
H. × rauliniana =H. marginata (Venezuela) ×H. bihai (Brazil)
H. chartacea cv. 'Sexy Pink'
Most commonly grown landscapeHeliconia species includeH. augusta, H. bihai, H. brasiliensis, H. caribaea, H. latispatha, H. pendula, H. psittacorum, H. rostrata, H. schiediana,and H. wagneriana.
Heliconias are grown for the florist's trade and as landscape plants. These plants do not grow well in cold, dry conditions. They are very drought intolerant, but can endure some soil flooding. Heliconias need an abundance of water, sunlight, and soils that are rich in humus in order to grow well. These flowers are grown in tropical regions all over the world as ornamental plants.[33] The flower ofH. psittacorum (parrot heliconia) is especially distinctive, its greenish-yellow flowers with black spots and redbracts reminiscent of the brightplumage ofparrots.
^He, J.; Chee, C.; Goh, C. (1996). "'Photoinhibition' of Heliconia under natural tropical conditions: the importance of leaf orientation for light interception and leaf temperature".Plant, Cell & Environment.19 (11):1238–1248.Bibcode:1996PCEnv..19.1238H.doi:10.1111/j.1365-3040.1996.tb00002.x.
^Hoii, Karen; Lulow, Megan (2006). "Effects of species, habitat, and distance from edge on post-dispersal seed predation in a Tropical Rainforest".Biotropica.29 (4):459–468.doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.1997.tb00040.x.S2CID86005157.
^Strong Jr., Donald R. (1977). "Insect Species Richness: Hispine Beetles of the Heliconia Latispatha".Ecology.58 (3):573–582.doi:10.2307/1939006.JSTOR1939006.
^Kress, W.J.; Specht, Chelsea (2005). "Between cancer and capricorn: phylogeny, evolution, and ecology of the tropical Zingiberales".Proceedings of a Symposium on Plant Diversity and Complexity Patterns - Local, Regional and Global Dimensions.55:459–478.
^McGuire, J. A.; Witt, C. C.; Remsen Jr., J. V.; Dudley, R.; Altshuler, D.L. (2008). "A higher-level taxonomy for hummingbirds".Journal of Ornithology.150:155–165.doi:10.1007/s10336-008-0330-x.S2CID1918245.
^Kress, W. J.; Specht, C. D. (2005). "Between Cancer and Capricorn: phylogeny, evolution and ecology of the primarily tropical Zingiberales".Biologiske Skrifter.55:459–478.
^Meléndez-Ackerman, E. J.; Speranza, P.; Kress, W. J.; Rohena, L.; Toledo, E.; Cortés, C.; Treece, D.; Gitzendanner, M.; Soltis, P.; Soltis, D. (2005). "Microevolutionary processes inferred from AFLP and morphological variation in Heliconia bihai (Heliconiaceae)".International Journal of Plant Sciences.166 (5):781–794.doi:10.1086/431231.S2CID84110783.
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Families ofZingiberales
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