Heliconiaceae
Genera : 1
Species: 100
To Genus Directories:
Heliconiaceae |
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Genera : 1Species: 100To Genus Directories: |
Distribution: Tropical and
subtropical Central and South America, with one species widespread
in the islands of the SW Pacific.
Economic Uses: Cultivated
as a striking greenhouse ornamental.
Defining
Features of Interest: The brilliantly
colored bracts that subtend the flowers give the family an unique
and easily recognizable inflorescence, which can be either pendant
or upright. The family also differs from the others in the order
Zingiberales in that the zygomorphic symmetry of the flower is
the exact opposite of the floral symmetry of the other closely
related families.
Fossil Evidence:No known
fossil record.
