Strelitzia

Strelitzia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Zingiberales
Family:	Strelitziaceae
Genus:	Strelitzia Ait.
Species
See text

Strelitzia ( /strɛˈlɪtsiə/)^[1] is a genus of five species of perennial plants, native to South Africa. The genus is named after the duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, birthplace of Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom. A common name of the genus is bird of paradise flower, because of a supposed resemblance of its flowers to the bird of paradise. In South Africa it is commonly known as a crane flower.

A Strelitzia plant photographed in Alicante, Spain

The species S. nicolai is the largest in the genus, reaching 10 m tall, with stately white and blue flowers;^[2] the other species typically reach 2 to 3.5 m tall, except S. caudata which is a tree of a typically smaller size than S. nicolai. The leaves are large, 30–200 cm long and 10–80 cm broad, similar to a banana leaf in appearance but with a longer petiole, and arranged strictly in two ranks to form a fan-like crown of evergreen foliage. The flowers are produced in a horizontal inflorescence emerging from a stout spathe. They are pollinated by sunbirds, which use the spathe as a perch when visiting the flowers; the weight of the bird on the spathe opens it to release the pollen onto the bird's feet, which is then deposited on the next flower it visits.

Species and hybrids

• Strelitzia alba (syn. S. augusta) – White bird of paradise;
• Strelitzia caudata – Mountain Strelitzia;
• Strelitzia nicolai – White or Giant bird of paradise; Wild banana; Blue-and-white Strelitzia^[2]
• Strelitzia reginae (syn. S. parvifolia) – Strelitzia, Bird of paradise, or Crane lily;
• Strelitzia juncea (Ker Gawl.) – African desert banana. Cite.
• S. × kewensis (hybrid between S. reginae and S. augusta)

See also

• List of Southern African indigenous trees

References

1. ^ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
2. ^ ^{a b} Eliovson, Sima (1981). Shrubs, trees, and climbers. Macmillan South Africa. ISBN 0869540114. http://books.google.co.uk/books?client=firefox-a&id=6Yg_AAAAYAAJ&dq=strelitzia+nicolai+height+of+10+metres%22&q=banana-like#search_anchor. Retrieved 2009-09-12.