Heliconia, derived from the Greek word
helikonios, is a
genus of
flowering plants in the Heliconiaceae. Most of the species are native to the tropical
Americas, but a few are indigenous to certain islands of the western
Pacific and
Maluku. Many species of
Heliconia are found in rainforests or tropical wet forests of these regions. Several species are widely cultivated as ornamentals, and a few are naturalized in
Florida,
Gambia and
Thailand. Common names for the genus include
lobster-claws,
wild plantains or
false bird-of-paradise. The last term refers to their close similarity to the bird-of-paradise flowers (
Strelitzia). Collectively, these plants are also simply referred to as
heliconias.
