Heliconia

HELICONIA
K.Ravindra Kumar
Ph.D. 1st
Year
Roll No. 10461

IndianAgriculturalResearchInstituteIndianAgriculturalResearchInstitute
Habitat
Found in natural tropical forest- water, rich soil and
sunlight
Can be found in moist or wet regions some times, in
seasonally dry areas
Elevation: Below 1500 feet
Most of the genus are near the river banks and
patches of the forest

 As a cut flower : Brilliant colour, exotic form, long straight peduncles
and excellent post harvest life.
 In the landscape
 As potted plants – Heliconia psittacorum, Heliconia stricta,
Heliconia angusta, cv. Golden touch
 Interior landscape – Heliconia psittacorum, Heliconia angusta,
Heliconia cv. Golden torch.
 Leaves are used for leaf thatching as well as food wrappers
(Carribean & Mexico)
 In Brazil roots and seeds of certain varieties are used for medicinal
purposes.
Importance:

• There are about 89 species under the genus Heliconia and
more than 350 varieties
Taxonomy
Family: Heliconiaceae Order: Zingiberales
Erect heliconias
are stand straight
with bracts
pointing up
Pendent
heliconias hang
with bracts
pointing down

Botany
 Heliconias derive their beauty from highly modified leaves or
bracts.
 Colour varies from pink, red, orange, yellow and different
combinations.
 The stalk length range from 0.5 to 3.0 m, and inflorescence size from
10 to 50 cm.
 Depend on variety heliconias will range in height from two to twenty
feet, often with extensive rhizomatous growth.
 In Heliconia thread like structures connecting the pollen grains.
 Heliconias are found to be diploid with 2n = 24 chromosomes
 Triploid (2n = 3x = 36) cultivars also found to exist

Pollinator- Humming bird
They are the only pollinators in heliconia
Sexual dimorphism in the purple-throated carib
(Eulampis jugularis)
Male Female

Heliconia species with two color
morphs:
Red - bracted morph
with longer, more curved
flowers matching the
bills of females
Yellow - bracted morph
with shorter, straighter
flowers matching the
bills of males

Green-bracted morph with
flowers matching the bills of
females
H. bihai, with a red-green
bracted morph with flowers
matching the bills of males

Species and cultivars
Heliconia stricta
Has beautiful inflorescence resembling lobster claws
Colours are ranged from red, gold, orange, maroon
and green singly or in combination
These exotic tropicals are ideal for small
arrangements as their inflorescence range from 5” –
12” long and are not too heavy

Heliconia stricta
Bucky
Fire bird
Dwarf Jamaican
Royal Tagami

Heliconia stricta “Sharonii”
•The broad foliage is
borne on stiff red stalks
• Blooms from late July
to February
• Sensational red and
yellow inflorescence
that stands erect

Heliconia rostrata
•Traditional and most recognized heliconias
with magnificient pendant inflorescence of
alternating bracts each 6 – 10 cm long, scarlet
red tipped with cream to yellow
• A deep red colour covers most of each bract
with yellow green tips
• Blooms year round
• One of the hardiest varieties

IndianAgriculturalResearchInstituteIndianAgriculturalResearchInstitute Heliconia rostrata

Heliconia psittacorum
• The psittacorum (or parrot’s beak) heliconias
are small, dainty and exotically tropical and
resemble the plant known commonly as Bird- of-
Paradise
• Flower heads appear to be hand painted and
glow with brillant colours and greenish yellow
flowers with black spots near apex and bloom
abundantly all year
• The cultivar Tay proved very productive, while
Andromeda was similar but taller, with more
flower heads

Heliconia psittacorum
Andromeda
Lady Di
Nickeriensis SassyGolden torch

Heliconia latispatha
• Erect inflorescence
with well seperated
boat shaped bracts
orange yellow at the
base and red towards
tip Greenish flowers
• Native to Central and
South America

Heliconia bihai
• Wild plantain/ Fire bird
• Greenish yellow flowers
clustered in the axils of
large stiff boat shaped
crimson red flattened
bracts with pointed tip and
arranged in two ranks
on erect inflorescence

Heliconia distans Heliconia angustifolia Heliconia collinsiana

Heliconia indica
has fairly
insignificant
flowers, but often
has spectacular
foliage.
Heliconia indica - foliage types

Propagation
Seed propagationSeed propagation
In tropical countries- Natural pollination occurs and
propagated by seed
Pollination- Humming birds and bats
Gerimation of H.psittacorum and other species- 2-3
months under 280
C
Time required for flowering will vary with the species
Smaller species- erect inflorescence- bloom in year
Larger species - two to more years, rarely seed
propagated
Seeds are mostly sterile

Vegetative propagation
Rhizomes, side shoots and suckers from mother
plant
Rhizomes- Terminal and axillary buds
Division- One terminal and axillary bud
Single-eye rhizome can be used- late development
Several eyes- rapid establishment

Tissue culture
More plantlet regeneration was induced from callus derived from shoot tips
Murashige and Skoog medium containing 0.5 g/l activated charcoal, 1.0 g/l
casein hydrolysate and 80 μM 2,4-D
2,4-D -40 μM and subculturing at 6-week intervals enabled long-term
maintenance of this regenerative callus
Regenerated plants were successfully transferred to field conditions
Marie et al., (1993)
The activated charcoal was essential to embryo germination.
Souza et al., (2010)
 Axillary and terminal buds of the rhizome are commonly used in TC plants
production
Nathan et al., (1992)

Light
More light intensityMore light intensity
Growth and yield improved
More light intensity penetration increases the
flower production
4 times more yield than 63% shade
Lower light intensityLower light intensity
Shade grown plants- Taller and weak, bract
colour is slight intense, low productivity
Flower quality and post harvest- No variation

Photoperiodism
Cultivar: Dwarf Jamaican
8 hr day- 6 weeks
– More flowers, good yield
– Advanced flowering
– Fewer leaves
– Short stem length
3-4 weeks of the SD- for the flower bud
initiation
16 hrs- Long stem length
Photoperiod have only slight effect on the
growth and flowering

Temperature
Grows well under the temperature of 21 to 350
C
Increasing the minimum air temperature of 15 to
210
C- shoot emergence and the no. of flowering
stem/ m2,
stem length and quality- doubled in cv. Tay

Shade regulation
Cultivars studied: H.bihai cv. Lobster Claw and
H.latispatha
Shade level: 0, 40, 60
Duration: 20 months- 5 generation shoots were
developed
No. of shoots per clump- high in H.bihai
H.bihai
– 1st
flowering in 12 months
– Peak flowering: March- June
H.latispatha
– 1st
flowering in 10 months
– Irregular patter of the flowering cycle- Peak- Jul and Aug

Inter cropping in Coconut gardens

IndianAgriculturalResearchInstituteIndianAgriculturalResearchInstitute Inter cropping in Coconut gardens

Effect of spacing
Spacing: 20 x 20 and 40 x 40 cm40 x 40 cm
Sizes of the rhizome: 10, 20, 30 and 40g40g
Largest rhizomes
– Greater mean performances
– Max. inflorescence/ clump/ sq.m
– Inflorescence size is reduced
– Increased plant height
Smallest rhizome
– Large inflorescence- 18.56 cm
– Optimum size of the rhizome- 40g
Wider spacing:
– Taller plants
– Larger inflorescence Talukdar, 2000

Spacing for different species
H.psittacorum: 0.75-1m
H.hirsuta, H.metallica, H.angusta, H.aurantiaca and
smaller H.stricta: 1.2-1.5m
H.rostrata, H.angusta Flava, , taller H.stricta: 1.5-2 m
H.caribaea, H.bihai, H.chartacea, H.wagneriana,
H.indica, H.champneiana, H.platystachys: 2-2.5 m

Planting method
Planted in ground beds
Depth of planting: 30cm
Bed width: 90 cm is optimum
Narrow beds: insufficient use of space
Wider beds
– Flower harvesting is more difficult
– Taller plants at centre- low light penetration
through dense foliage

Media
Three organic substrates,
– Carbonised rice hull,
– Dry and green coir dust, and
Fertilizers
– Vitasolo
– Earthworm humus
The rice hull was more efficient than the coir dust (dry
or green);
Green coir dust was more efficient than dry coir dust
Humus was more efficient than Vitasolo
Pizano, 2005

Replanting
If crowding is severe
– Beds should be dugged, divided and
replanted in 2 years
– Harvest- Inflorescence + leaves- at ground
level
Heliconia flowers in terminal
Harvested stalks compete for the light,
water and nutrients- It should be
removed

Irrigation
Use substantial amount of water
Poor drainage- Major root problem
Water stress- Longitudinal rolling of
foliage
Over head sprinklers
– Relieve water stress in leaves
– Uniform spreading through the dense
foliage till the centre
Low level sprinklers- inefficient due to
density of the pseudostem

Manures and fertilizers
Rich compost and more water- Active
growing season
FYM- 4kg/m2
20g N, P2O5, K2O/M2
- at the time of
planting
N-20g/m2
-top dressing- after 2 months
N:K ratio- Increases
– Size of the plants
– Size of the inflorescence

Heavy feeder, good response to fertigation- Increase
plant size, flower size ad productivity
Balanced soluble fertilizers
High nitrogen
Rapid growth and flowering
Terminal inflorescence initiated with pre determined no.
of leaves 4-6 leaves in H.Psittacorum
 3-4 times /year- Foliar spray
 Better leaf colour
 Recover the micro nutrient deficiency
Micronutrients

Deficiency symptoms
Iron deficiency
– High soil pH
– Poor drainage
Yellowing in young leaves
Yellow bands along the older leaf margins-
Magnesium deficiency
Nitrogen- overall yellowing of plants

Harvest
Erect and pendulous terminal inflorescence
Colourful boat shaped bracts
Up to 20 florets/ bract
Flowers are harvested with peduncles of 70 cm
Flowers are harvested- in the early day when turgid
Mid day harvest- Poor post harvest life
Inflorescence last longer- harvested from well
irrigated field
Cut at the desirable stage

Harvesting time
H.psittacorum- one or two open bracts
Larger size heliconias- one half to two third development
H.psittacorum- shipped with one or two leaves intact
H.psittacorum flowers superficially resembles the BOP
Bracts are bright colour with the pink, red, orange and
yellow flowers
Yield:Yield: 60 to 120 stems/m2

Post harvest practices
Water uptake by the cut heliconia flowers are
negligible
Flowers do not open after harvest
Even provided with bud opening and sucrose solution
Floral preservatives have the little effect on the PH
life
Shipped in boxes with moist package
More storage time- less vase life

Treating the inflorescence
Whole inflorescence dipped in insecticide
Rinsed with water
Hand cleaning
– To dislodge insects
– Remove the dead flowers
Stalks are held in waters

Floral preservatives and storage
No effect on the vase life
– Poor vascular development at the base of the stem
Anti-transpirants- improve the vaselife slightly
– Failure-complete covering of the bract
PH Life: 14-15 days in deionized water with/ without
preservative
Storage < 100
C- flowers are damaged
Jaroenkit et al, (2003)
Storage in 120
C under reduced pressure- stored for at
least four weeks
Zimmer and Carow, 1977

Grading
Fit to the box- 150 cm
H.psittacorum trimmed to 60-90 cm
10 flowers per bunch
In 150x50x25 cm box- 25 such bunch are placed
Moist and shredded newspapers are used to reduce
damage
Plastic sleeves are used to prevent bruishing

Heliconia

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