Strelitzia

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File:Strelitzia reginae MHNT.BOT.2009.13.52.jpg
S. reginae fruit capsules and seeds – MHNT

Strelitzia /strɛˈlɪtsiə/[3] is a genus of five species of perennial plant, native to South Africa. It belongs to the plant family Strelitziaceae.[4] A common name of the genus is bird of paradise flower/plant, because of a resemblance of its flowers to birds-of-paradise. In South Africa, it is commonly known as a crane flower.

Two of the species, S. nicolai and S. reginae, are frequently grown as houseplants.[5] It is the floral emblem of the City of Los Angeles[6] and is featured on the reverse of the South African 50-cent coin.

Taxonomy

The genus was named by Joseph Banks in honour of the British queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.[7][8]

Description

The species S. nicolai is the largest in the genus, reaching 10 m (33 ft) tall, with stately white and blue flowers;[9] the other species typically reach Template:Cvt tall, except S. caudata, which is a tree of a typically smaller size than S. nicolai.

The leaves are large, Template:Cvt long and Template:Cvt 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.

Biology and propagation

They are pollinated by sunbirds and blue-faced honeyeaters, which perch on and drink from the spathe. The weight of the bird when standing on the spathe opens it to release the pollen onto the bird's feet, which is then deposited on the next spathe it visits. It is believed to be the only genus of plants pollinated by the feet of birds.[10] Strelitzia species lack natural insect pollinators; in areas without sunbirds, plants in this genus generally need hand pollination to successfully set seed.[11]

Species and hybrids

Five species are recognised, although one—S. juncea—has been shown to be genetically nested within another, S. reginae. It is possibly a mutation that is in the process of speciating.[12]

Image Scientific name Common name Native distribution
File:Strelitzia alba 001.jpg Strelitzia alba (syn. S. augusta) White bird of paradise Garden Route along the southernmost coastal regions of the Eastern and Western Capes in South Africa
File:Fleur du Strelitzia Caudata . Elle est très ressemblante a celle du Strelitzia Nicolai ( Strelitzia blanc ).jpg Strelitzia caudata Mountain strelitzia Chimanimani Mountains of Zimbabwe south to Mozambique, the Northern Provinces of South Africa, and Eswatini
File:Strelizia nicolai.JPG Strelitzia nicolai White bird of paradise or giant bird of paradise; wild banana; blue-and-white strelitzia[9] Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Eastern South Africa from the Great Fish River northwards to Richards Bay
File:Bird of Paradise (2367720567).jpg Strelitzia reginae (syn. S. parvifolia) Strelitzia, bird of paradise, or crane lily South Africa (the Cape Provinces and KwaZulu-Natal)
File:Strelitzia juncea flower.jpg Strelitzia juncea (Ker Gawl.) African desert banana[13] South Africa near Uitenhage, Patensie, and just north of Port Elizabeth

Allergenicity

Plants in the genus Strelitzia produce no wind-borne pollen, and have an OPALS allergy scale rating of 1, meaning a very low risk of causing allergic reaction.[11]

Journal

Strelitzia is also the name of the botanic journal of the Pretoria-based National Botanical Institute,[14] which has since been converted into the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). The Strelitzia journal replaced Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa and Annals of the Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Strelitzia Banks". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Strelitzia Banks". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000. n.d. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  3. ^ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607, Sunset Books
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Tropical Flower Guide". Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Our House Plants - Bird of Paradise". Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."On the precipice of turning 40, I sometimes wonder: Where can one find paradise?". Los Angeles Times. 2024-11-14. Retrieved 2025-10-26.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Strelitzia reginae Banks". Plants of the World Online. 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Strelitzia reginae". pza.sanbi.org. August 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  9. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Eliovson, Sima (1981). Shrubs, trees, and climbers. Macmillan South Africa. ISBN 0-86954-011-4. Retrieved 12 September 2009.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Bright, Michael (2001). 1000 Wonders of Nature. London: Reader's Digest Association, Ltd. p. 268. ISBN 0-276-42614-2.
  11. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ogren, Thomas (2015). The Allergy-Fighting Garden. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. p. 200. ISBN 978-1-60774-491-7.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Cron, Glynis V.; Pirone, Cary; Bartlett, Madelaine; Kress, W. John; Specht, Chelsea (2012). "Phylogenetic Relationships and Evolution in the Strelitziaceae (Zingiberales)". Systematic Botany. 37 (3): 606–619. doi:10.1600/036364412X648562. S2CID 17046806.
  13. ^ Strelitzia juncae, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Strelitzia. 1994. OCLC 478273483.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Strelitzia". SANBI. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  • Page Template:Sister-inline/styles.css has no content.Script error: No such module "Sister project logo". Media related to Script error: No such module "Commons link". at Wikimedia Commons

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