I’ve got some Heliconia Rostrata in 7 gallon pots at the nursery, and this past week the blooms have begun popping out.
If you’ve never seen a Heliconia Rostrata bloom it’s an amazing thing to watch. Many people refer to this plant as the “hanging lobster claw”, while the more accepted term is a “pendant heliconia”
The “bloom” is actually a modified leaf- designed to attact hummingbirds and insects for pollination.
What first appears from the top center of the stalk is what seems to be yet another green leaf unfurling- but on closer inspection you will notice that it is very short and not as rolled up as a normal leaf.
As this shorter leaf protrudes from the stalk more over time, you notice it is connected to a very colorful “spear” with bright yellow, red/fuschia and green. This spear will continue to push out until it thins out into a red “rope” of sorts. At this point, it continues to move out / get longer and starts to hang down.
This is the point at which our Heliconia Rostrata currently sit. You can see this progress in the photos below. Stay tuned for the next, even cooler, phase 
