Heliconia

Heliconia, large tropical flowers native to Central and South America and some islands of the South Pacific, have become favourite horticultural subjects throughout the world. Many cultivated varieties are available from florists as cut flowers, or potted plants in regions where they cannot be grown outdoors. Others are commonly used as ornaments for landscaping in the tropics. Fully illustrated with colour photographs that capture the reds, yellows, greens, and pinks of long-lasting heliconia blooms, this field guide is the definitive source for easy and efficient identification of 200 species, varieties, hybrids and cultivars of the genus Heliconia. Botanical and horticultural names are given for each species, along with a brief description of morphological features, blooming time, habitat and geographic distribution.