Considered one of the most striking heliconias, the pendulous bracts are primarily bright pink with handsome pale green lips.

Considered one of the most striking heliconias, the pendulous bracts are primarily bright pink with handsome pale green lips.

Heliconia Chartacea ‘Sexy Pink’ (Heliconiaceae) also known as Pink Flamingo Heliconia is one of the most eye-catching hanging heliconias. The ‘Sexy Pink’ has a hot pink rachis fading into frosty pink bracts with delicate pale greenish white borders. It is a medium sized heliconia, reaching 6-7 feet tall. This plant prefers the humid tropics.

The leaves and inflorescences are covered with a white waxy bloom, and the leaves have a very characteristic shredded look.

The leaves and inflorescences are covered with a white waxy bloom, and the leaves have a very characteristic shredded look.

Heliconia Chartacea is a species of Heliconia native to the American tropics, mainly Guiana and Brazil. It is a common upland species of disturbed sites, young secondary forest, and abandoned cultivation, and is often found near human habitation. It is a herbaceous plant, with paired large oblong leaves like those of its relative the banana. It can grow to 7-8 m in height, and plants can form large clumps with age. It blooms throughout the year.

The flowering stems are pendulous. The bright pink color of the flower bracts is rare among heliconias, making it very easy to identify. The conspicuous pink part of the large and showy hanging inflorescences is actually the waxy bracts, (modified leaves), with the small green true flowers half-hidden inside. It is pollinated by hermit hummingbirds, whose curved beaks are well adapted to probe the curved flowers for nectar, their main food source. Some species such as the Rufous-breasted Hermit also use the plant for nesting.

It has blue-black fruits that contain 3 very hard seeds, which are capable of extended dormancy in the soil. The fruits are eaten by a variety of birds, including tanagers and thrushes. Several cultivars have been selected for garden planting, including ‘Sexy Pink’ and ‘Sexy Scarlet’.

Vase life is 10 to 14 days depending on bud stage and environmental conditions. Sexy Pink Heliconia needs to be kept warmer than your everyday flowers with a preferred temperature of 60 to 65 degrees.

Vase life is 10 to 14 days depending on bud stage and environmental conditions. Sexy Pink Heliconia needs to be kept warmer than your everyday flowers with a preferred temperature of 60 to 65 degrees.