Flowers Costa Rica – A sampling of the many flowers we have here in San Miguel.

The first plants pictured are considered air plants or Epiphytic plants. They grow on tree branches and collect water in the cone of their leaves. They don’t need soil to live. The small white one is a Dwarf Orchid that grows on our Mandarin Lime Tree. There is usually three thin strands that protrude from the base and have about 6 or 7 flowers on each strand. The flowers last for about a little more than a week at a time. The others are much bigger and are Bromeliads. This group comes in many shapes and colors. Fun Fact: The pineapple is a Bromeliad but it uses soil to grow.

These need soil

This is a Heliconia (Heliconia Elongata or Heliconia Wagneriana Peterson) that grows in the soil. The “lobster claw” petals hold rain for a few days this helps to feed the plant but also attracts hummingbirds to drink. Hummingbirds and Nectar Bats are the main pollinators.

 

The first is a Spiral Flag which is in the same family as ginger. There are many different types of Spiral Flags here. When the thick stalks first grow up out of the ground the leaves spread out in a spiral pattern all the way around. There is some medicinal value to the kidneys when you drink a tea made from the younger stalk shoots. The second photo is a flower from a Panama Hat Palm. The fibers were used to make the famous Panama Hats even though the plant is originally from Asia. The flower that you see is mature and good food for birds, including Costa Rica’s National Bird. When the flower is very young it is edible by humans and makes a tasty addition to a cold salad. Here it is called piccadillo, which is any type of vegetable cut up into small chunks and made into a salad.

Get our chocolate covered froggy sitting on this flower as a shower curtain in our online marketplace.

There are more flowers Costa Rica on our property page.