Striped blood banana
Heliconia indica

Family: Heliconiaceae

What it is like

An erect coarse herb. It has underground stems or rhizomes. It is something like a banana. It grows to 2 m tall. It has a false stem of tightly rolled leaf sheaths. The leaves are oblong and 2-3 m long. The flowers have overlapping bracts which are red, yellow or green. The fruit are yellow.

The leaves are used as plates for serving food. There are about 200 Heliconia species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows best in full sun. It grows in humid tropical rainforests in areas when sun penetrates.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Fiji, Hawaii, India, Indonesia, New Caledonia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Rotuma, Samoa, SE Asia, Tonga, USA, Vanuatu

How it is used for food

The flower bracts are cooked as a famine food. The seeds are eaten cooked. The leaves are used as wrapping to cook foods in earth ovens.

Edible parts

Flowers, seeds

How it is grown

Plants can be grown by division.

Its other names

Local names

Edwardus rex heliconia, Helikonia indika, Illustris heliconia, Paka, Pari, Soectabilis heliconia, Vava

Synonyms

Heliconia aureo-striata W. Bull; Heliconia buccinata Roxb.; Heliconia edwardus-rex Sander; Heliconia illustris W. Bull; Heliconia paka A.C.Smith; Heliconia rubro-striata Ridley; Heliconia sanderi Hort. Sander; Heliconia spectabilis Rodigas; Heliconia solomonensis Kress; Heliconia striata Guilmot;