Heliconiaceae

False bird of paradise

Heliconia rostrata Ruiz & Pav.

Family: Heliconiaceae
Genus: Heliconia

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False bird of paradise (Heliconia rostrata) — FlowerPhoto: Ricard Busquets Reverte, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (11)

Bangla: ঝুলন্ত চিংড়ি
Chinese: 金鳥赫蕉, 金嘴蝎尾蕉
Dutch: Snavelheliconia
English: False bird of paradise, Hanging lobster claw
Japanese: ウナズキヘリコニア
Korean: 헬리코니아 로스트라타
Malayalam: ഹെലികോണിയ റോസ്ട്രേറ്റ
Persian: گل خرچنگی, هلیکونیا روستراتا
Polish: Helikonia dziobata
Spanish: Flor del patuju, Flor del patujú, Patuju, Patujú
Thai: ปากนกแก้ว, สร้อยกัทลี

Synonyms

Bihai poeppigiana (Eichler ex Petersen) Kuntze
Bihai rostrata Griggs
Heliconia poeppigiana Eichler ex Petersen

Flowers

In flower: all year (from 682 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Lower 48 states: introduced, Puerto Rico: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Ricard Busquets Reverte, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Anthony Batista, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Sara Navarro, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Manuel Roncal, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: User:4conrad, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Dick Culbert, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Богиня Фрейя, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Rosario Douglas, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: shankar s. from Dubai, united arab emirates, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: plant2000 plant, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Neyra Loaiza, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Alfredo F. Fuentes Claros, CC0, from iNaturalist

More in Heliconia

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.