Heliconia psittacorum
A tropical perennial with tall upright stems and bright red to orange bracts that attract hummingbirds, featuring long-lasting inflorescences and year-round blooms in warm, humid, well-watered conditions.
Common Names
Parrot's Beak, Parakeet Flower, Parrot's Flower, False Bird-of-Paradise
Summary
Parrot's beak (parakeet flower) is a tropical perennial herb native to Central and South America, growing in erect clumps to about 0.8–1.5 m tall with green lanceolate leaves and showy inflorescences of waxy bracts in red, orange, or yellow forming a parrot's beak; tubular nectar-rich flowers appear year-round and foliage is evergreen.
Cultivation favors bright indirect to full sun in warm, humid conditions with fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil; keep the root zone consistently moist, provide humidity, and fertilize regularly; propagation by rhizome division or seeds; commonly used as an ornamental in tropical gardens, landscapes, patios, or containers, and as a long-lasting cut flower; hardy to zones 10–11 and frost sensitive.
Lifecycle
Perennial, Annual
Height
3-6 ft
Spread
2-3 ft
Hardiness Zones
Zones 11-12
Sunlight Requirements
Partial Shade to Full Sun.
Soil Type
Well-drained, fertile loam or sandy-loam soil rich in organic matter, pH 5.5–7.0
Soil Drainage
Well-drained soil
Soil pH
5.5–7.0, Acidic to neutral
Bloom Color
Orange, Red, Yellow
Bloom Time
Year-round
Foliage Color
Green
Fall Foliage Color
Green
Leaf Lifecycle
Evergreen broadleaf
Growth Rate
Fast
Seasons of Interest
All four seasons (year-round)
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Division, Cuttings
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts hummingbirds, Attracts birds, Attracts other pollinators
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- L.f.
- Publication
- Suppl. Pl. : 158 (1782)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Zingiberales
- Family
- Heliconiaceae
- Genus
- Heliconia
Synonyms
Bihai cannoidea Bihai humilis Bihai psittacorum Bihai sylvestris Heliconia andrewsii Heliconia bahiensis Heliconia ballia Heliconia brasiliensis var. concolor Heliconia cannoidea Heliconia goiasensis Heliconia humilis Heliconia marantifolia Heliconia psittacorum var. rhizomatosa Heliconia psittacorum var. robusta Heliconia psittacorum var. spathacea Heliconia schomburgkiana Heliconia swartziana Musa humilis Heliconia hirsuta var. cannoidea Heliconia sylvestris