Lobster Claw
Location
Butterfly Garden
- Common Name: Lobster Claw (other common names: Parrot’s Beak, False Bird of Paradise, Hanging Claw, Heliconia Species, Crab Claws, Hanging Lobster Claws)
- Scientific Name: Heliconia rostrata
- Family Name: Heliconiaceae
- Origin: Central and South America
- Height: 36” – 15’
- Width: 3’ – 4’
- Growth: fast growing and spread aggressively
- Zone: 9B – 11
- Light Needs: Full sun – partial/dappled shade
- Salt Tolerance: none
- Soil/PH/Texture: soil must be well draining, fertile and moist, slightly acidic – neutral (pH 6.1 – 7.3)
- Soil Moisture: Mesic – Do not let it dry out, it requires consistently moist soil.
- Drought Tolerance: moderately tolerant but for best results keep the soil consistently moist
- Pests/Diseases: Besides fungal diseases and soil pathogens they are mostly resilient to pests and diseases.
- Growing Conditions: Easy to grow, low maintenance, they will need fertilizing in spring for best results in flowering and every two months until fall.
- Characteristics: the foliage of this plant is Chartreuse/yellow, red, and silver/gray, glossy, oval and paddle shaped. The blooms are covered by very showy bracts, arranged in terminal racemes, ranging from pink, red, orange, yellow to yellow/green and appear mid spring – early fall, and in warmer climates they can bloom year-round.
- Propagation: by dividing tubers, bulbs, corms, or rhizomes.
- Wildlife: attracts bees, birds, and butterflies
- Facts: It is the national flower of Bolivia.
- Designer Considerations: excellent for cut flowers in a floral arrangement with a long vase life, growing in containers, as accent plants, borders, and along foundations.
