Heliconia latispatha

Bentham

The Botany of the Voyage of H.M.S. Sulphur 6:170. 1846.

IntroducedIllustrated
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 22.

Plants 2–4 m, pseudostem well-developed. Leaves 3–5 per shoot, green, longest blade 75–150 × 18–33 cm. Inflorescences erect, to 45 cm; cincinnal bracts spirally arranged, 8–13 per inflorescence, middle bract with outer surface orange and/or red and glabrous, 14–19.5 cm, 5–7 cm wide at base. Flowers 10–15 per cincinnus; perianth green, yellow, or orange with dark green sepal margins, sometimes sparsely puberulent along fused sepal margins, 3.5–4.6 cm, 7–8 mm wide at gibbous base, nearly straight; sepal margins, fused, dark green, glabrous, sometimes sparsely puberulous. Drupes blue, 10–13 × 8–9 mm. 2n = 24.


Phenology: Flowering early fall (Sep).
Habitat: Disturbed areas
Elevation: 0–4 m

Distribution

V22 108-distribution-map.jpg

Introduced; Fla., West Indies, native, Mexico, Central America, and South America.

Discussion

In the flora Heliconia latispatha often persists in old gardens but only rarely spreads outside them.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Heliconia latispatha"
W. John Kress +  and Alan T. Whittemore +
Bentham +
Fla. +, West Indies +, native +, Mexico +, Central America +  and and South America. +
0–4 m +
Disturbed areas +
Flowering early fall (Sep). +
The Botany of the Voyage of H.M.S. Sulphur +
andersson1984a +
Introduced +  and Illustrated +
Heliconia latispatha +
Heliconia +
species +