heliconia.org

The Heliconia Society International (HSI) conference originally planned for Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden in Pattaya, Thailand, has been postponed. According to Heliconia.org, the conference will now be held in 2027, with an optional post-tour to Chiang Mai. Details and registration information are posted on the HSI website.

What Changed

The conference was previously listed as "Thailand 2026." The site now labels it "Conference: Thailand 2026 Postponed" and states the event will take place in 2027. If you were planning around a 2026 date, you will need to adjust your travel and registration timeline.

Key Details

How to Attend

1. Go to Heliconia.org and open the conference section (linked from the "Conference: Thailand 2026 Postponed" notice).
2. Check the posted details for the confirmed 2027 dates and registration information.
3. Decide whether to add the optional Chiang Mai post tour when you register.

Because the exact 2027 dates and registration opening are not specified in the current site excerpt, treat the conference page as the authoritative source and check back for updates.

Related HSI Activities

While waiting for the conference, HSI offers other ways to engage:

• Membership — Join to receive the quarterly Bulletin; back issues are free to preview for non-members.
• Cultivar registration — HSI is the official International Cultivar Registration Authority (ICRA) for Heliconia, Etlingera, Costus, Cheilocostus, Chamaecostus, and Paracostus.
• Research grants — Annual grants of $1,000 support graduate and post-doctoral research on Zingiberales botany and horticulture.

For the most current conference schedule and sign-up steps, consult the HSI website directly.

The Heliconia Society International (HSI) runs a small grants program that supports research on any aspect of the botany and horticulture of the Zingiberales. According to Heliconia.org, annual grants of $1,000 are available, and the program is open to research conducted by graduate and post-doctoral students. If you are a student working on Heliconia or related plants and need modest project funding, this is the relevant program to look at.

What the grant supports

The scope is deliberately broad within one plant group. HSI states that the program supports research projects on any aspects of the botany and horticulture of the Zingiberales. That order includes Heliconia and the related genera the society works with, such as Etlingera, Costus, Cheilocostus, Chamaecostus, and Paracostus.

Because the wording is "any aspects," the grant is not restricted to a single subfield. A project could sit in taxonomy, cultivation, ecology, or horticultural practice, as long as it concerns the Zingiberales.

Who is eligible

The stated eligibility is specific:

• Graduate students conducting research on the Zingiberales
• Post-doctoral students conducting research on the Zingiberales

The award is tied to the researcher's career stage rather than to an institution type. If you are beyond the post-doctoral stage, the page as summarized does not describe a route for you under this program.

How much is awarded

The $1,000 figure is the annual grant amount given by HSI. Treat it as seed or supplementary funding for a defined piece of work rather than as full project support.

How to apply

The Heliconia.org page states that more information is available ("Find out more") but does not lay out the application steps, deadlines, or required documents in the material available here. To apply, go to the Research Grants section of Heliconia.org and follow the link provided there for the current application details.

Before you start, it is worth preparing the elements a small research grant normally expects:

1. A short project description stating the Zingiberales species or genus involved and the research question.
2. A budget showing how $1,000 would be used.
3. Evidence of your student status (graduate or post-doctoral).
4. A timeline for the work.

Confirm each of these against the official instructions on the site, since the exact requirements are not reproduced in the source material.

Practical points to keep in mind

• Check the current cycle. Grant programs change deadlines and availability; the page content does not confirm a specific deadline, so verify on Heliconia.org.
• Match the plant group. The proposal must concern the Zingiberales. A project on an unrelated plant family would not fit the stated scope.
• Keep the budget realistic. A $1,000 annual grant suits a focused, bounded piece of research, not a multi-year program.
• Membership is separate. HSI also offers membership with a quarterly Bulletin, but the grant description does not state that membership is required to apply. Do not assume either way; check the grant page.

For the underlying context — what HSI is and what it does — see the related question on Heliconia.org and the Heliconia Society International.

The Heliconia Society International (HSI) is the official International Cultivar Registration Authority (ICRA) for the genera Heliconia, Etlingera, Costus, Cheilocostus, Chamaecostus, and Paracostus. If you have bred or selected a distinct new cultivar in any of these genera, you register it through HSI's Cultivar Registration service on heliconia.org. The same page also lets you look up cultivars that have already been registered. Registration is what gives a cultivar name official standing, so it is the step to take once you are confident your plant is genuinely new and stable.

What ICRA status means for you

Because HSI holds ICRA appointment for these genera, a name registered through HSI is the recognized cultivar name for that plant. This matters if you intend to:

• Distribute or sell the plant — a registered name travels with it and prevents confusion when multiple growers use different working names for the same selection.
• Publish or exhibit — shows, journals, and collections generally expect the registered name.
• Keep breeding records straight — registration fixes the name, the parentage or origin as you report it, and the date, so later re-descriptions do not drift.

Registration is a naming and documentation act, not a legal protection like a patent or trademark. It records the cultivar; it does not grant exclusive rights.

How to register a new cultivar

1. Confirm the genus is covered. HSI registers cultivars in Heliconia, Etlingera, Costus, Cheilocostus, Chamaecostus, and Paracostus. If your plant falls outside these genera, HSI is not the right authority.
2. Check that the cultivar is genuinely new and distinct. Compare it against existing records before submitting — the same Cultivar Registration page lets you look up existing cultivars. A name that duplicates or closely resembles an existing one will not stand.
3. Go to the Cultivar Registration section of heliconia.org and use the registration entry point there. The site presents registration and lookup as two functions of the same service.
4. Supply the cultivar details the form asks for — the proposed cultivar epithet, the genus, the origin or parentage, and a description of how it differs from related cultivars. Be precise about distinguishing characters; that is the core of what a registration record documents.
5. Submit and wait for the record to be processed. Once accepted, the cultivar appears in HSI's records and can be found through the lookup function.

The exact fields and any supporting material (such as photographs or herbarium references) are set by HSI's registration process, so work from the current form rather than an older copy.

Looking up existing cultivars

Use the same Cultivar Registration page to search registered cultivars. This is worth doing before you name a new one — it is the fastest way to avoid a name clash and to see how comparable cultivars in the same genus have been described. It is also useful if you have acquired a plant under a trade name and want to check whether that name is officially registered.

Practical points before you submit

• A cultivar name is not the same as a species name. You are registering a cultivated selection, not describing a new species.
• Stability matters. A cultivar should be distinguishable and reproducible; a one-off oddity that does not hold its characters is a poor registration candidate.
• Do the lookup first. It costs nothing and prevents the most common problem — a name that is already taken or too close to an existing one.
• Registration is separate from membership. HSI membership brings the quarterly Bulletin and other benefits, but the registration and lookup service is described on the site as its own function; check the current page for whether any step requires an account.

If your interest is broader than a single cultivar, HSI also runs a small grants program for graduate and post-doctoral research on Zingiberales botany and horticulture, with annual grants of $1,000, and holds periodic conferences — the Thailand conference at Nong Nooch Tropical Garden has been postponed to 2027, with an optional post tour to Chiang Mai.

Joining the Heliconia Society International (HSI) gives you a quarterly Bulletin and connects you to a global community focused on Heliconia and related Zingiberales. If you mainly want to read before committing, you can preview back issues for free as a non-member. If you want ongoing issues plus access to HSI programs such as cultivar registration and research grants, membership is the path.

What HSI Is

HSI describes itself as working to increase the enjoyment and understanding of Heliconia and related plants of the order Zingiberales through education, research, and communication. Its website, heliconia.org, is the hub for that work.

Core Member Benefit: The Quarterly Bulletin

The most direct benefit stated on the site is a quarterly Bulletin. This is HSI's regular publication, and it is what members receive as part of joining.

Recent Bulletin topics shown on the site include:

• Faunal diversity associated with the Heliconia genus and related Zingiberales in a botanical garden in Quindío, Colombia
• Diversity of the genus Hedychium in the Northeast of India

These examples show the range: field research, regional plant diversity, and horticultural subjects tied to Zingiberales.

Free Preview for Non-Members

You do not have to join to sample the content. HSI states that back issues are now free to non-members. This is useful if you want to judge whether the Bulletin matches your interests before paying for a membership.

Other HSI Programs You Can Take Part In

Membership sits alongside several HSI activities that may matter depending on your goals:

The research grants are listed as annual grants of $1,000. The conference in Pattaya, Thailand, at Nong Nooch Tropical Garden has been postponed to 2027, with an optional post tour to Chiang Mai.

How to Join or Renew

The site provides a single entry point: "Sign up or renew membership here." The exact steps and any fees are handled through that membership page rather than being spelled out in the material summarized here. If you are unsure, the free back issues are the low-risk way to start.

Who Should Join

• Join if you want the quarterly Bulletin delivered as a member benefit and want to support HSI's education, research, and communication work.
• Preview first if you are curious but not ready to commit, since back issues are free to non-members.
• Look separately at cultivar registration or research grants if those are your main reasons for visiting, since they are distinct HSI programs rather than membership perks described on their own.

Heliconia.org is the website of the Heliconia Society International (HSI), a membership organization focused on Heliconia and related plants in the order Zingiberales. It serves growers, researchers, and horticultural enthusiasts by combining education, research support, and communication. If you want to identify or register a cultivar, read its quarterly Bulletin, apply for research funding, or attend a conference, this site is the central hub for those activities.

What HSI is and who it serves

HSI describes its purpose as increasing the enjoyment and understanding of Heliconia and related Zingiberales through education, research, and communication. That mission translates into practical resources for three broad audiences:

• Growers and hobbyists looking for cultivation information and a community.
• Researchers and students working on the botany and horticulture of these plants.
• Cultivar developers who need an official registration channel.

The official cultivar registration role

One of HSI's most concrete functions is acting as the official International Cultivar Registration Authority (ICRA) for several genera. According to the site, HSI is the ICRA for:

• Heliconia
• Etlingera
• Costus
• Cheilocostus
• Chamaecostus
• Paracostus

This means you can register a new cultivar or look up existing cultivars through the site. If you have developed or discovered a distinct cultivar in any of these genera, the registration service is the authoritative route to have it formally recorded.

Main resources and programs

Research grants

HSI sponsors a small grants program for research projects on any aspect of the botany and horticulture of the Zingiberales. The grants are aimed at graduate and post-doctoral students, with annual grants of $1,000 available. If you are a student planning a project in this area, this is a specific, bounded funding source worth checking.

Conferences

The site notes a conference originally planned for Thailand. The XXIII Conference at Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden in Pattaya, Thailand, has been postponed and will be held in 2027, with an optional post tour to Chiang Mai. Registration and details are posted on the site.

The Bulletin

Members receive the quarterly Bulletin. If you are unsure about joining, back issues are now free to non-members, which lets you preview the content before committing to membership.

How to get involved

• Join or renew membership to receive the quarterly Bulletin.
• Preview back issues for free if you want to sample the content first.
• Register a cultivar or look up existing ones if you work with any of the covered genera.
• Apply for a research grant if you are a graduate or post-doctoral student in a relevant field.
• Watch for conference details for the rescheduled 2027 Thailand event.

The site accepts PayPal as a payment platform, which is relevant if you are signing up for membership or paying for conference registration.