Heliconia aurantiaca (Golden Dwarf Heliconia)

Golden Heliconia - excellent cut flowers, resembling Bird of Paradise in yellow to orange! Endemic to Central America - south Mexico and Guatemala. Its natural habitat is montane forests. Tropical, evergreen perennial with short rhizomes and smooth, leathery, 7 to 16 inch long, oblong leaves. The plant is a smaller species (4 - 5 ft) with a compact, relatively small, erect inflorescence. Unusual, 8 inch long inflorescences, resembling birds of paradise, hold light yellow to orange sepaled flowers. Borne from spring through summer. Cold-sensitive and requires a minimum temperature of 40 F. This species does not tolerate heavy clearing and disturbance.