Heliconia section Griggsia (L. Anderss.) W. J. Kress

1.5. 6. Heliconia section Griggsia (L. Anderss.) W. J. Kress , comb. et stat. nov.

Figs 5 C, D View Figure 5

Heliconia subgenus Griggsia L. Anderss., Flora of Ecuador 22: 42. 1985. View in CoL

Type.

Heliconia griggsiana L. B. Smith.

Description and taxonomic notes.

Large-sized rhizomatous herbs with Musa - like habit. Inflorescence pendent, with peduncle, rachis and cincinnal bracts red to pink to green; cincinnal bracts distichous or sub-spirally arranged, partially separated. Flowers with diurnal anthesis, not resupinate and fully enclosed in bracts; perianth with short to medium-sized tube, uniformly curved, yellow to orange, glabrous; ovary white to red, glabrous. Fruits blue, glabrous. subgenus Griggsia was established by Andersson (1985 b, 1992) to include all species of Heliconia with pendent inflorescences. Here it is recognized as a section with only three species ( LPP = 1.0) and is clearly allied to the other three sections with pendent inflorescences in this subgenus. In the molecular analyses H. pardoi Abalo & Morales was indicated as allied to species in sect. Griggsia , but shares morphological features with taxa in sect. Cannastrum , where it is placed in this classification. A second species, H. titanum W. J. Kress & J. Betancur, was placed in sect. Longae by the genomic data, which may support an earlier suggestion ( C. Black, pers. comm.) that this species is a hybrid with one parental species in that section. Here it is placed in sect. Griggsia .

Species.

* Heliconia gigantea W. J. Kress & J. Betancur ; * H. griggsiana L. B. Smith ; * H. titanum W. J. Kress & J. Betancur †.

Distribution.

Tropical Andean South America ( Colombia, Ecuador).