Strelitzia

Read about Strelitzia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
Strelitzia (for the wife of King George III, Charlotte Sophia, of the family Mecklinburgh-Strelitz, a patron of botany). Musaceae. Bird-of-paradise Flower. Perennial herbs, adapted to the warmhouse, grown for the banana-like foliage and the very odd showy flowers. Rhizome sometimes subterranean, sometimes an erect woody st.: lvs. large, long-petioled: scape terminal or in the upper axils, short-exserted from the sheaths of the lvs.: bracts large, spathe-like, boat-shaped, acuminate, solitary at the end of the scape or 2 slightly distant: perianth long-exserted; sepals free, long, carinate; petals very dissimilar; stamens 5; ovary 3-celled, many-seeded.—About 5 species, S. Afr. The genus has been monographed by K. Schumann in Engler's Pflanzenreich, hft. 1 (IV. 45) 1900. The Strelitzia Reginae requires a strong soil, a copious supply of water, and considerable sunlight. It is a serviceable plant for house decoration or for the porch or lawn in summer. It will endure much neglect, but unless well cared for it may fail to bloom regularly and well. A night temperature of 50° is sufficient. This plant may be induced to set seed if the flowers are hand-fertilized. The usual method of propagation, however, is by suckers and division. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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Strelitzia

Plant Info

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Liliopsida
Sublass:	Zingiberidae
Order:	Zingiberales
Family:	Strelitziaceae
Genus:	Strelitzia Ait.

Species

See text

Strelitzia 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. The 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.

The species S. nicolai is the largest in the genus, reaching 10 m tall; the other species typically reach 2-6 m tall. 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

Strelitzia alba (syn. S. augusta) - White bird of paradise
Strelitzia caudata - Swaziland Strelitzia, African desert banana
Strelitzia nicolai - White, or Giant bird of paradise; Wild banana
Strelitzia reginae (syn. S. parvifolia) - Strelitzia, Bird of paradise, or Crane lily
Strelitzia juncea (Ker Gawl.) - Greatly reduced or non-existent leaves. Cite.