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Common name: Heliconia Golden Torch
Botanical name: Heliconia psittacorum x spathocircinata Family: Heliconiaceae (heliconia family)
Heliconias are native to tropical America, and while a few can be found in
seasonally dry locations, most come fro moist and wet regions. Growing from
rhizomes, they have erect shoots, each composed of a stem and leaves and
terminated by an inflorescence of brilliant color, which comes from bracts
rather than the actual flower.
This particular hybrid originated in Andromeda Botanic Gardens in Barbados.
The heliconias bloom all the summer and they
are great cut flowers, lasting 2 to 3 weeks. Heliconias are heavy feeders, and
need rich humic soil. They also make great container plants.
Identification credit: Radhika Vatsan
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