The quality of water used in irrigation in northeast Brazil is very variable, in terms of geography as well as during the year, mainly in small reservoirs. The use of saline waters along with the climatic conditions, commonly found at the end of the dry season may result in salinization of irrigated areas, with consequent damage to crops. For heliconias there are no indicators related to the effect of water salinity on its growth and development. The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth in plant height, the water content in the plant and dry matter accumulation of six species of heliconias irrigated with saline waters. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse of UFCG / Campina Grande / PB, forming a 6 x 6 factorial experimental design in randomized blocks with three replications, each with two pots. The growth of heliconias was significantly affected by water salinity levels. The H. latispatha cv. Red-Yellow Gyro and H. psittacorum cv. Red Opal were less affected by salinity. The water content of plant decreased with increase of EC of irrigation water. With increasing salinity a decrease occurred in the dry matter accumulation. The