Heliconia lathispatha - Lobster Claw Heliconia

What a gorgeous plant I bet the flower is a beauty to.

The flowers are not too showy. All the show come from the bracts. This is one of the easier Heliconias to grow in California. It's also a very large one, it can grows 10 to 12' tall. Heliconia shiedeana, which I have, grows 6 to 8 ft tall.

I wondered what flower could out shine the bracts its still a beauty. Wow thst is big.

Heliconias are grown for their very showy bracts not flowers. This one does grow tall. There's some species which grow twice as tall.

I can see why its a beauty even without a flower. Wow bet they are wonderful .

Yes, so many florist use the flowers.

We sometimes see varieties/species of Heliconias here in the UK. Obviously, they can only be grown as houseplants here though!

Yes, there's so many species and varieties. Some nurseries have a good selection of Heliconias. There's most likely on a dozen or so species (much more varieties, though) which grow well outside here in San Diego. Most are extremely tropical. So, mostly the subtropical ones grow here.