by Eliane Oliveira
It looks like a bunch of bananas, but it’s a plant as exotic as its own name: Heliconia. Have you ever heard of it?
This plant, very common in decorative gardens, is also known as caeté or banana tree of the forest and belongs to the genus Heliconia, of the family Heliconiaceae. It is a tropical plant, originating from South America, Central America, Pacific Islands and Indonesia.
However, its name is a tribute to the Helicon mountain that lies in the south of Greece, where they believed to live the inspiring muss of the arts. And it’s no wonder, because Heliconia has a beautiful size!
It has long, pending stems, with thick, red and yellow buds that resemble the nozzles of the toucans and seem heavy, but they are very poor. Its extension is covered by a reddish feather, providing a soft texture like velvet.
The leaves are also very fragile and easily tear with strong wind and rain. The true flowers are white and are hidden among the buds of vibrant colors that mimic the colors of a bird.
Types, varieties and species
The variety of heliconias is so large, it already exists until poster with all types to give away (see below)! The number of known Heliconias species is close to 200, with 30 natural species in Brazil alone. Among them, the main are:
- Heliconia angusta
- Heliconia aurorae
- Heliconia bihai ‘ Lobster Claw ‘
- Heliconia psittacorum
- Heliconia rostrata
- Heliconia bihai ‘ Chocolate Dancer ‘
- Heliconia caribaea
- Chollinsian Heliconia
- Heliconia episcopalis
- Heliconia latispatha ‘ Orange Gyro ‘
- Heliconia lingulata ‘ Fan ‘
- Heliconia lingulata ‘ Spiral Fan ‘
- Heliconia psittacorum ‘ Alan Carle ‘
- Heliconia rostrata ‘ Nana ‘
- Heliconia stricta
- Heliconia Wagnerian
Photo source
How to plant and take care of the heliconias?
The cultivation of Heliconia is very simple, because it does not require regular pruning and fertilization. Because it is a kind of warm and humid climate, the ideal is to plant it in soil consisting of equal parts of land and humus, maintaining the humidity most of the time.
Therefore, it is recommended to wet once in the morning and another at night, taking care only not to leave the soil drenched, since it can result in fungi.
Besides, they also like sunlight. Therefore, keep them in direct sunlight for 6 hours every day, or place a sun lamp if necessary.
The spacing between one plant and another is also important, because they need plenty of room to spread. The ideal is to keep a distance of 4 to 6 meters between them.
Keep the Heliconia always clean, weed-free to keep the unit needed, as well as remove dead leaves and stems from the plant to enhance its growth.
Other than that, care and affection should be the same with other plants and flowers in your garden, since they all need nutrients, pruning, watering and much attention!
