Heliconia
The flowering part of the heliconia is known as an inflorescence bract. They are large erect herbs often with extensive rhizomatous growth. Hundreds of Heliconia varieties exist in Central and South America and in this painting I am showing some of the creatures that set the stage for life on this magnificent plant. On the lower left is a purple throated mountain gem hummingbird. Hummingbirds help pollinate the plant with their long curved bills. Heliconias depend on various pollinators to reproduce their long tubular, curved flowers (known as bracts). Probing the base of a flower, hummingbirds find a trove of nectar just for them. Some of the other hummers in the piece include the Violet Saberwing in the center, the Frivoles hummingbird at the top center and the Green-crowned Brilliant on the lower right.
On the lower left perched on a leaf of the heliconia is a Green Anole lizard. In the lower center is a Red-eyed leaf frog which lays its eggs on the leaves of the plant. Heliconias are also hosts to a variety of other species such as invertebrate communities like flower fly larvae and mites. Even tent bats reside on the undersides of the leaves creating umbrellas by chewing the veins on either side of the midrib until the leaf collapses. The bats are safe from sun, rain, and predators.
What is most surprising to me is that the Costa Ricans consider this plant a weed, and indeed it is prolific in the forest. They are native to Central and South America and some islands of the South Pacific. They are remarkable plants, not only for the beauty of their flowers, but also for the fact that so little is known about them.