| Heliconia rostrata | |
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| Lobster claws flower at peak season, Udumalpet, India | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Zingiberales |
| Family: | Heliconiaceae |
| Genus: | Heliconia |
| Species: |
H. rostrata
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| Binomial name | |
| Heliconia rostrata Ruiz & Pavon | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Heliconia rostrata, the hanging lobster claworfalse bird of paradise, is a herbaceous perennial plant native to El Salvador, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Ecuador, and naturalized in Puerto Rico.[2] Other heliconias grow in an upright position (e.g. Heliconia bihai), their cup-shaped flower bracts storing water for birds and insects. This plant, however, has downward-facing flowers, the flowers thus providing a source of nectar to birds.[3][4]
Heliconias are known to those who grow them as a host flower to many birds, especially the hummingbirds. Because of its unique characteristics, it is often used as a specimen for tropical gardens.
Along with the Kantuta flower, Heliconia rostrata, known as patujú, is the national flower of Bolivia.
| Heliconia rostrata |
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Authority control databases: National  |
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