Heliconia psittacorum, Kathy

Inflorescence

The Heliconia psittacorum, Kathy, produces small, colorful flowers with brightly colored deep-red bracts.  Most people think of the bracts as the bloom, but the true flower are the stiff orange sepals that poke out of the bracts at various points.

Some writers lump all the various psittacorums into the misnomer "Parrot's Beak", but each of the many cultivars in this group has distinctive colors and characteristics and should be known by its proper name.

Please review the Zingiberales Planting and Caring page for additional information.