Colorful Heliconias

Did you know?

Heliconias are plant favorites! This bold tropical plant with large decorative leaves looks like a cross between a banana and a Spathiphyllum. The neat thing is that even in interiorscapes, they will bloom with very exotic looking flowers sure to thrill your clients!

Heliconias in the wild

Heliconia originally comes from the humid tropical forests of Central and South America. As you might suspect, they like their environment to be warm, humid and sunny. The ones best-suited for interior use have 3-foot-long leathery leaves on long stems. The leaves are shaped to funnel the rain towards the root zone, so as you might suspect, they love plenty of water. With the correct conditions they will push out brilliant waxy red or orange flowers that stand well above the foliage. This display gives them the common names of “lobster claw” or “firebird.”

Heliconias are not the easiest plants to care for in interiorscapes, for they do require warm, humid conditions, lots of light and a constant water supply. They are a bit prone to mealybug, too. But, if you are up for the challenge, their beauty is worth the struggle!