Strelitzia reginae

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Bird of Paradise flower

Strelitzia reginae flower

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Liliopsida
Subclass:	Zingiberidae
Order:	Zingiberales
Family:	Strelitziaceae
Genus:	Strelitzia
Species:	S. reginae

Binomial name

Strelitzia reginae
Banks

Strelitzia reginae is a monocotyledonous flowering plant indigenous to South Africa. Common names include Strelitzia, Crane Flower or Bird of Paradise, though these names are also collectively applied to other species in the genus Strelitzia. Its scientific name commemorates Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of King George III.

The plant grows to 2 m tall, with large, strong leaves 25-70 cm long and 10-30 cm broad, produced on petioles up to 1 m long. The leaves are evergreen and arranged in two ranks, making a fan-shaped crown. The flowers stand above the foliage at the tips of long stalks. The hard, beak-like sheath from which the flower emerges is termed the spathe. This is placed perpendicular to the stem, which gives it the appearance of a bird's head and beak; it makes a durable perch for holding the sunbirds which pollinate the flowers. The flowers, which emerge one at a time from the spathe, consist of three brilliant orange sepals and three purplish-blue petals. Two of the blue petals are joined together to form an arrow-like nectary. When the sunbirds sit to drink the nectar, the petals open to cover their feet in pollen.

[edit] Cultivation and uses

Strelitzia is very popular as an ornamental plant. It was first introduced to Europe in 1773, when it was grown at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Since then, it has been widely introduced around the world, including the Americas and Australia, growing well in any area that is sunny and warm. In the United States, Florida and California are the main areas of cultivation, due to their warm climate. It is a common ornamental plant in Southern California, and has been chosen as the Official Flower of the City of Los Angeles, where they are all but unkillable.

It is propagated by division or from seeds, and is a low-maintenance plant that is easy to grow in the garden; it is fairly tolerant of soil conditions and needs little water once established. If cared for well, they will flower several times in a year. They will thrive in rich loamy soil, especially when they get plenty of water throughout the year. They do well in full sun to semi-shade and respond well to regular feeding with a slow-release fertilizer and compost. They are sensitive to cold and need to be sheltered from frost, as it can damage the flowers and leaves.

Patience is required when growing this plant as it is slow-growing and may take a while to bloom. To get a mature plant from seed takes three to five years (though it can exceptionally flower at three years). The flowers are, however, quite long-lasting once they appear. There is also a yellow cultivar of this flower known as Mandela's gold strelitzia (Aiton). Peak flowering is in the winter and early spring.