Tropical American clump-forming perennial with broad banana-like leaves and exotic orange-red bracts holding bright yellow tubular flowers, like parrots perched along the stem. The most widely grown ornamental heliconia.
Hardiness ratings
| System | Rating | Temperature range | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA hardiness zone | Zone 10–12 | −1.1 °C to 15.6 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| RHS hardiness rating | H1c | 5 °C to 10 °C | Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance |
| Canadian plant hardiness zone | Zone 9 | −1 °C and warmer | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| Australian (ANBG) zone | Zone 5–7 | 5 °C and warmer | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
Growing notes
- Plant in tropical and subtropical gardens — flowers continuously in warm humid conditions, principal cut flower of the tropical Caribbean export trade
- Outstanding hummingbird forage in its native Caribbean and northern South American range
- Spreads by rhizomes to form expanding clumps — divide and replant every 3–4 years
- Frost-tender — strictly warm-climate cultivation
- Not reliably hardy outdoors in Canada — Canadian zone values shown represent the system maximum and do not imply garden cultivation north of the warmest coastal pockets.
Categories
Related plants
Cross-check Parrot heliconia against your zones