Biology:Heliconia rostrata

Heliconia rostrata
	Lobster claws flower at peak season, Udumalpet, India
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Zingiberales
Family:	Heliconiaceae
Genus:	Heliconia
Species:	H. rostrata
Binomial name
	Heliconia rostrata; Ruiz & Pavon
Synonyms
	Bihai poeppigiana (Eichler ex Petersen) Kuntze ; Bihai rostrata (Ruiz & Pav.) Griggs; Heliconia poeppigiana Eichler ex Petersen;

Short description: Species of plant

Heliconia rostrata, the hanging lobster claw or false bird of paradise, is a herbaceous perennial plant native to El Salvador, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Ecuador, and naturalized in Puerto Rico.^[2] Other heliconias grow in an upright position (e.g. Heliconia bihai), their cup-shaped flower bracts storing water for birds and insects. This plant, however, has downward-facing flowers, the flowers thus providing a source of nectar to birds.^[3]^[4]

Heliconias are known to those who grow them as a host flower to many birds, especially the hummingbirds. Because of its unique characteristics, it is often used as a specimen for tropical gardens.

Along with the Kantuta flower, Heliconia rostrata, known as patujú, is the national flower of Bolivia.