Plants 2--4 m, pseudostem well-developed. Leaves 3--5 per shoot, green, longest blade 75--150  18--33 cm. Inflorescences erect, to 45 cm; cincinnal bracts spirally arranged, 8--13 per inflorescence, middle bract with outer surface orange and/or red and glabrous, 14--19.5 cm, 5--7 cm wide at base. Flowers 10--15 per cincinnus; perianth green, yellow, or orange with dark green sepal margins, sometimes sparsely puberulent along fused sepal margins, 3.5--4.6 cm, 7--8 mm wide at gibbous base, nearly straight; sepal margins, fused, dark green, glabrous, sometimes sparsely puberulous. . Drupes blue, 10--13  8--9 mm. 2n = 24.

Flowering early fall (Sep). Disturbed areas; 0--4 m; introduced; Fla.; West Indies; native, Mexico, Central America, and South America.

In the flora Heliconia latispatha often persists in old gardens but only rarely spreads outside them.

Other References

Andersson, L. 1984. The chromosome number of Heliconia (Musaceae). Nordic J. Bot. 4: 191--193.