Morphology of seed and vegetative propagation was studied toHeliconia velloziana L. Emygd. (Heliconiaceae), a rhizomatous herb with a large aerial part. Seeds took about four months to germinate, probably due to the undifferentiated embryo and hard endocarp. Seedlings had two first foliar structures as scale leaves and the primary root developed, but the adventitious roots were more conspicuous. Vegetative propagation by rhizomes was faster than the sexual one. The roots developed after one month, while young shoots started developing after four to six weeks; young aerial shoots presented a variable number of cataphylls and two protophylls.
Heliconia; rhizomes; seedlings; seed propagation; vegetative propagation
