PRODUCTIVITY AND PERIODICITY OF FLOWERING IN HELICONIA ORTHOTRICHA CULTIVARS

Medium flower size, bold coloration, good keeping qualities and a long season of bloom characterize selections of Heliconia orthotricha, a species relatively new to the palette of bold tropical cut flowers. An evaluation of four cultivars, Eden Pink, Garden of Eden, Macas Pink, and Candy Cane, was conducted over a 2-year period to determine their seasonality of flowering and productiveness, and developmental progression from shoot emergence to flower harvest. The shortest average periods from shoot emergence to flower harvest occurred when shoots emerged during the spring and the longest during the fall, and the variations were for 'Eden Pink' 170 to 283 days, 'Garden of Eden' 125 to 254 days, 'Macas Pink' 156 to 291 days, and 'Candy Cane' 131 to 248 days. Approximately 50% of the flowers of each cultivar were harvested during summer months, but all produced some flowers throughout the year. Per plant productivity during their first 12 months following planting ranged from a low of 40 for 'Eden Pink' to 54 for 'Candy Cane' and 'Macas Pink' and 57 for Garden of Eden, but all had produced more than 200 inflorescences by 2 years after planting from a small number of plants. All four cultivars may be characterized as welcome additions to the export markets for tropical flower producers.

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