Heliconia section Pastazae W. J. Kress

1.5. 9. Heliconia section Pastazae W. J. Kress , sect. nov.

Figs 5 K, L View Figure 5

Type.

Heliconia pastazae L. Anderss.

Description and taxonomic notes.

Medium-sized rhizomatous herbs with Musa - like habit. Inflorescence pendent, with peduncle, rachis and cincinnal bracts usually red with yellow distally along margins (rarely completely yellow or green); cincinnal bracts sub-distichous to spirally arranged, separated. Flowers with diurnal anthesis, not resupinate and fully to partially enclosed in bracts; perianth with short to medium-sized tube, uniformly curved, yellow to green, glabrous; ovary white to green to yellow, glabrous. Fruits blue, glabrous. Most of the species in this section have been considered as related and informally placed in the H. platystachys group ( Andersson 1985 b, 1992) or the unpublished sect. Pendulae ( Kress et al., 1999). The strong LPP support (0.92) for sect. Pastazae is further evidence for its recognition as a distinct monophyletic lineage within subgen. Heliconia .

Species.

* Heliconia abaloi G. Morales ; * H. chartacea Lane ex Barreiros ; * H. pastazae L. Anderss. ; * H. platystachys Baker ; + H. rigida Abalo & Morales.

Distribution.

Tropical Central America and South America ( Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Venezuela).