I saw these in the Floral show and I got curious. Thought it´s a stem of a tree, but then I was mistaken.Heliconia is a tropical herbaceous plant. It is part of the zingiberales family, which also includes bananas, ginger, bird of paradise and cannas. 

I´ve read that they are notorios and extensive rhizomatous growth, meaning roots and shoots form off a horizontal underground stem.Each shoot has a stem and leaves, usually ending with a group of flowers. Stem lengths can vary from less than a metre to over 5m depending on the species.

When the flowers stay on the plant, they will flower like a white Strelitzia does. Sometimes you see them with brownish or even red spots on the flower. This happens when they are grown in a bit darker place with less sunlight.

I got a Strelitzia, Bird of Paradise plant last Winter. I got them on sale and the size was perfect to grow indoors. I am still patiently waiting for it to bloom.Birds of Paradise belongs to the plant family of Strelitziaceae.This plant is named after Queen of Charlotte of United Kingdom.In South Africa, they are well known as crane flower and is featured on the reverse side of a 50 cent coin.

Birds of Paradise reminds me so much of home. I see them quite often in Philippines and it´s very common to see them growing wild.

This post is inspired by Cee´s Flower of the Day Challenge.