Heliconia Valley

Heliconia chartacea 'Sexy Pink'
Location: Heliconia Valley, Zone D.

Heliconia 'Lobster's claw'

The Heliconia variety 'Sexy Pink' is a unique and eye catching species to plant.  It is very easy to propagate and so are many others in the species.  It is to obtain the rare variety that becomes the main challenge.  The heliconia collection at the Heliconia Valley with its initial collection of about a dozen species have become somewhat an 'open nursery' acting as mother plants to produce rhizomes for propagation purposes.  Once removed these shoots can be planted elsewhere in the park.  Some heliconia species love full sun while others prefer filtered or dappled light.  Heliconias are exotic plants, tropical and colourful and a key element in the Kambatik garden.

Heliconia psittacorum

Heliconia Valley, Zone D

Heliconia latispatha

Heliconia latispatha at the Heliconia Valley
Zone D

Spiderhunter pollinating the Sexy Pink

Clumps of Heliconia chartacea 'Sexy Pink' planted at Heliconia Valley

 The many clumps of Heliconia chartacea 'Sexy Pink' are doing well at the Heliconia Valley area at Zone D.  Often times the Little Spiderhunter would visit the inflorescences to hunt for nectar and small insects especially tiny ants that are attracted by the sweet nectar.  When the Spiderhunter pushes its beak into the flower to look for nectar it is also doing another very important function i.e. pollinating.  The pendulous inflorescence have very colourful pink bracts which are basically false flowers.

Little Spiderhunter thrushes its beak into the flower to look for nectar.

The pull of the Parrot flower

Crimson Sunbird - female

Little Spiderhunter

 The Parrot flower (Heliconia psittacorum) certainly has a strong magnetic pull to many tiny birds.  They came dropping by at the Heliconia 'Golden Torch' too.  The' not so often' seen female species of the Crimson Sunbird visited the flower unaccompanied by the male of the species. The sharp beaks of the Crimson Sunbird and the Little Spiderhunter punctured the bottom part of the heliconia bracts to get direct access to the nectar.

Crimson Sunbird - male

Olive-backed sunbird

Little Spiderhunter

Crimson  Sunbird

Heliconia Valley and Footpath

Heliconia chartacea 'Sexy Pink', Heliconia Valley walk

Here's some collection of heliconias at the Park.  I have planned a special area to exhibit the heliconias called the Heliconia Valley.  Heliconias are useful as cut flowers, besides being attractive to the birds.  They are an ideal plant for the Kambatik garden (Malaysian garden) because they thrive in our tropical climate.  furthermore they require minimum maintenance.
Checkout how I use them as cut flowers in the Kambatik-style floral arrangement here...>>>

Heliconia caribaea

H. rostrata

H. latispatha

Botanic Island One, Mid-hill footpath

Botanic Island One, Mid-hill footpath

Heliconia 'Golden Torch'

Heliconia 'Lobster Claw'

Heliconia pssitacorum (Parrot flower)

Heliconia pssitacorum (Parrot flower)

Heliconia pssitacorum (Parrot flower)

Heliconia pssitacorum (Parrot flower)

Heliconia pssitacorum (Parrot flower)