1.5.

Figs 4 E – L, 5 A – L

Description and taxonomic notes.

Medium- to large-sized rhizomatous herbs with Musa -, Canna -, or Zingiber - like habit. Inflorescence erect or pendent, with peduncle, rachis and cincinnal bracts of various colors from red to orange to yellow to green; cincinnal bracts distichous or spirally arranged, congested or widely separated. Flowers with diurnal anthesis, not resupinate and fully or partially enclosed in bracts or fully resupinate and held at right angles to bracts; perianth with short to elongate tube, straight to uniformly curved to s-shaped (sigmoid), white to green to yellow to pink to red, glabrous to sometimes hairy; ovary white to green to yellow to red, generally glabrous. Fruits blue, glabrous (rarely hirsute). The size and complexity of subgen. Heliconia has varied with author, including from four (Andersson 1992) to six (Kress et al. 1999) sections. The molecular data provide 0.9 LPP support for a newly defined subgen. Heliconia, which includes many taxa formerly placed in subgenera Stenochlamys and Griggsia, e. g., from sects. Lasia, Cannastrum, Zingiberastrum (now Longiflorae), and parts of Lanea, as well as the informal species groups and unpublished sects. Griggsia, Barbatae, Arcuatae, Longae, Rostratae, Pendulae, and Retiformes. The wide variance in morphological traits characterizing species in subgen. Heliconia in part accounts for this complex arrangement of taxa. In the current classification nine sections, each supported by 0.92–1.0 LPP, are recognized. Four sections comprise an unresolved polyphyletic assemblage within the subgenus while the other five sections form a monophyletic group with 1.0 LPP support.

Distribution.

Tropical Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean (Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela).