Heliconias

I first heard the word Heliconia on our tour of the cloud forest. Then I kept seeing them all over Costa Rica. I wish I had known a bit more about them before I left. There are so many different kinds (see more photos here), some hang down, but most stand up. The one on the left was growing in the wild in Manuel Antonio Park, which is on the west coast of Costa Rica. The flowers were at eye level, and were growing in the shade.

The picture below was taken in a garden further south in CR. These are a different variety as they were much shorter and the flowers smaller. These plants were quite common and since there are numerous garden centers in CR, I expect they are readily available. On my next trip I will have to visit some!