The name Heliamphora is a result of linking two Greek words; hélios, which means sun, and amphoreus, which means amphora (a kind of Greek vase). Together, these words create a name that means "vase filled with sun".

These are primitive herbaceous plants which live in habitats with damp and acid soils. Their original environments are the summits of mountains, more or less 2400m high, in Venezuela, Guiana and Brazil's border.

The leaves, called ascidium, have the shape of a jar, leaving the plant exposed to the rain. But the water flows out easily due to the structure of the jar, making the pollination process possible even in rainy periods.

Its vivid colors and gland-shaped structures called "nectar spoon", which exhales a strong fragrance, lure the preys inside the plant. They are usually attracted to the bottom of the jar, where there is a greater number of these glands. The inner surface of the plant is covered with downward-pointing hairs, which have the function of making harder any escape attempt.