Tuesday, May 12, 2009

"Popcorn" Heliconia?



This is one of the flowering plants that surround our condo in the Playa Langosta area of Tamarindo. The center of the flower looks to me a little like popcorn.  I think it is a type of heliconia, but I have to admit that I am not very good at identification of different types of plant species.  Furthermore, there are more than 10,000 different plant species in Costa Rica that have been documented, but obviously that is too many to be shown in my reference book on Costa Rican plants.  

Another excuse for my limited knowledge (besides the fact that my three university degrees included only one class in biology) is that in dividing my time between Costa RIca and the USA, I have lived most of my adult life in Arizona.  We primarily have desert plants in Arizona, and of course the plants in Costa Rica are tropical,  Thus, much of the vegetation is quite different, which is part of the allure of Costa Rica.    
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8 comments:

  1. brattcatMay 12, 2009 at 5:09 AM

    Stunning photograph. I love the tiny pop of blue in all of the yellow, red, and green.

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  2. SharonMay 12, 2009 at 5:35 AM

    This really does look like popcorn. I think you've named it very well.

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  3. Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.comMay 12, 2009 at 7:04 AM

    gorgeous!

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  4. Leif HagenMay 12, 2009 at 7:20 AM

    Beautiful flower shot! You have interesting and fun Costa Rica photos. I'm new to City Daily Photo; I just started Eagan Daily Photo. Regards from Minnesota, USA!

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  5. hennyMay 12, 2009 at 8:40 AM

    No, not popcorn. It's like corn fried with little butter, little salt and pepper :).

    Thank you for explaining, Dave.
    I thought first, the cactus were on the roof, too :).
    I remember Tor-teey-ya :).
    PS: the word verification is: forteea.

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  6. JudyMay 12, 2009 at 8:45 AM

    Very exotic looking, almost looks like it could be edible.

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  7. MysticleMay 12, 2009 at 3:07 PM

    Hi Dave, lovely photos. I visited Costa Rica several years ago. Went white water rafting. A great trip!

    Thank you for visiting our blog & commenting on the Jasmine story :)

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  8. UnknownMay 13, 2009 at 5:27 AM

    I think Heliconias have the most amazing flowers! This 'pop corn' species is so pretty cool! :-)

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