Heliconia
"What's that yellow flower? It's kind of like Mom's Bird of Paradise, only.. you know, healthy."
~Jess Harding
Species:
Heliconia caribaea
Common Name:
Heliconia/Orange Delight
Family:
Heliconiaceae
Seen in:
• Jurassic Park The Game (1993)
• Jurassic Park Trespasser (1998)
Description:
Heliconia caribaea, Heliconia or simply Orange Delight as commonly called, is an herbaceous exotic plant native to the Caribbean region and other nearby countries of Central America such as Costa Rica. It was introduced in Hawaii in 1958 even! It is one of the many species within the genus Heliconia, known as Lobster-Claw plants in reference to the shape of their vivid flowers, of which vary in tones of Yellow, Orange and Red. Heliconias are similar to Bananas in appearance, with upright growing broad leaves that come out from a pseudostem. It is in the divisions of those pseudostems that the colorful flowers emerge.
Much like the majority of Heliconia species, the Orange Delight is used primarily for ornamental purposes, as the plant poses no danger or toxins from its leaves to animals and even ourselves by being edible. As mentioned, the plant is native to the Caribbean region, hence its scientific name, but over time the plant got introduced into other countries and regions, mainly in Central America.
Two of those locations would be the Jurassic Park Islands of Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna, the plant would be first seen on Isla Nublar around 1993, as one of the Park Staff, Gerry Harding, talks and shows about the introduction of the plant into Dinosaur Paddocks to enhance and decorate the environment, it was specifically seen at the Northern Triceratops Paddock.
The second occurrence of the plant would be 5 years later on Isla Sorna, as Anne, the sole survivor of a plane crash on the Island, stumbles across clutches of the plant in forested areas, likely naturally spreading into the environment without control.
Size Estimates:
2m to 4m Tall
Did you know?
In a cut dialogue line from Jurassic Park Trespasser, Anne stumbles across a clutch of Heliconia, mistakenly calling them Orchids.
Habitat & Geographical Ranging:
Native from the Caribbean, Heliconia caribaea is present mainly in Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and many other islands such as Dominica, Saint Lucia, Barbados, Grenada and many others. The plant found its way into majority of Central America too, reaching south of Nicaragua and entirety of Costa Rica. The plant would also reach northern portions of South America, primarily Colombia.
With the wide extension in Costa Rica, Ingen eventually introduced the plant into Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna sometime in the late 80s to early 90s. On Isla Nublar, the plant is primarily seen at the Northern Triceratops Paddock, at the northeast section of the Island. While on Isla Sorna it could be found in great abundance at the Southeast of the Island.
Individual Variation:
Although not individual variation, Heliconias can go through different colors for their flowers as they mature, ranging from Yellow, Orange and finally Red. The Orange Delight in particular stays most of its growth cycle with Orange tones, with soft Yellow and Green at the edges of each segment of the flower.