Strelitzia reginae or Bird of Paradise – Description & Uses

Leaf Persistence
Evergreen
Form
Rhizomatous Herbaceous
Texture
Coarse
Growth Rate
Slow

Flowering Period (Tropics)
May – December
Fruiting Period
August – February
Height
1,50-2 m (5-6.5 ft) Ind/rs: 0,50-1,2 m (1.6-4 ft)
Diameter
0,60-1,20 m (1.9-4 ft) Ind/rs: 0,50-1 m (1.6-3.2 ft)

Leaves Shape
Oblong Lanceolate
Foliage Colour
Green
Autumn Foliage Colour
Green

Flowers Shape
Spathe with Spike (Spadix)
Flowers Colour
Orange, Blue
Fruit
Capsule

Soil Type: Well-drained, sand, loam, clay
Exposure: Sun, Half-Shade, Shade
Soil pH: 6-7.5
Watering: Low
Hardiness: −1.1 °C (30 °F – USDA Hardiness Zone 10a)

In parks, gardens, coastal areas, in pots and planters indoors and outdoors

The name of the genus Strelitzia is due to Charlotte, which is of course not at all strange, considering that in 1773 the plant was named after the peerage Sir Joseph Banks, the then unofficial director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and loyal subject of the Queen Charlotte, who bore the rich in content title of Queen consort of Great Britain and Ireland Electress/Queen consort of Hanover, more commonly known as Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz or queen consort of the enlightened monarch British king George III, King of the United Kingdom, Elector/King of Hanover etc., where in its days – and until he unintentionally developed a mental illness of unknown etiology – 1,600,000 slaves were transported from Africa to British possessions, filling the Royal Treasury with gold. [Continued in the next chapter]

[Continued from previous chapter] … Of course – apart from the ultra profitable slave trade – almost none of the above would have happened if the then unofficial director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, Sir Joseph Banks, had not had the brilliant idea to send the Scottish under-gardener and later botanist Francis Masson (August 1741 – 23 December 1805) as a plant collector on the South African expedition under the famous James Cook, captain of the also famous Resolution ship.

And between 1772 and 1775, Francis Masson sent to England more than 500 species of plants, one of which was Strelitzia reginae (incorrectly originally identified as Heliconia bihai), and James Cook, using the Resolution to sailing down the Antarctic icy coast, gave the final and irrevocable assurance that there is no continent in that latitude.

Of course, this news did not deter Sir Joseph Banks, who also dedicated the name of the species to Queen Charlotte, since the word reginae actually means queen and comes from the Proto-Indo-European * h₃rēgnih₂ having the same meaning.

The Bird of Paradise originates in a relatively wide area of East South Africa, namely the provinces of Eastern Cape and Natal.

Its natural populations grow along the east coast, from the small town of Humansdorp in the south to the KwaZulu-Natal province in the north, also known as the “Garden Province“.

The natural habitats of the plants of Strelitzia reginae, are found in the clearings between the shrubs of the coastline, along the rivers, towards the sea, but also at the borders of the forests, and even in places that are shady to completely shaded where also blooms.

It is also worth noting that in its niches the Bird of Paradise is an important food for its winged colleagues, the birds of the sky, as the main source of nectar.

Compared to the equally widespread relative Strelitzia nicolai, which lives about 150 years, Strelitzia reginae has a disadvantage, as it will rarely exceed 20 years.

However, dividing (one of the methods of propagation of the plant) can reach and surpass it – as long as the divider can withstand time.

The Bird of Paradise is a rhizomatous evergreen clump-forming perennial plant, small in size and slow growth rate. When cultivated in the garden it reaches a height of 2 m, while as an indoor plant it does not exceed 1.20 m.

It has a cup shape, with characteristically large leaves grouped in clusters, and stunningly beautiful blue and orange flowers that look like a bird’s head. Besides, its common name is due to the great similarity of its flowers with certain species of birds of the same name, of the Paradisaeidae family.

Otherwise, it has a fragile but dense root system, a canopy of medium density and a rather irregular outline, while it has extremely coarse-textured foliage.

The roots of the plant are tuberous, fleshy, up to 2.5 cm in diameter, and brownish orange in color. They end in a blunt extremity, forming a dense lattice extensive root system, which is fragile due to their fleshy texture. If they do not find obstacles, they can grow horizontally, covering a large area.

The Strelitzia reginae has monoecious and hermaphroditic flowers. They grow many together, 4 to 7, in axillary spadix (spike) inflorescence, appearing successively. Each flower appearance lasts about a week.

They consist of 3 bright orange sepals, and a corolla of 3 blue – violet petals. The sepals, about 15 cm long, which take an almost vertical position, are mainly due to the characteristic, bird-like, plume.

Of the petals, which bear the nectaries, one also takes an upright position, enriching the plume in color, while the other two joined together, presenting an arrow-shaped form, and take a position almost similar to that of the spathe.

This arrangement serves the reproductive strategy of Strelitzia, because when the birds – pollinators come to the flower to drink the nectar, they take with their breast the pollen, which in this way is transferred to another flower.

Each flower has 5 stamens, with long and linear anthers, whose short and distinct filaments adhere to the 2 inherent petals, as well as the pistil, whose white roundish stigma dominates at their sharp end.

Plants enter the reproductive stage after the 5th to 6th year of their age.

The Strelitzia reginae belongs to the ornithophilous species, and in its natural habitats it is pollinated by the birds of the family Nectariniidae (Sunbirds). Its most common pollinator seems to be Ploceus capensis (Cape weaver), which also explains the fact that outside of South Africa, a Strelitzia plant with seeds will rarely be found.

In recent years, however, another plant pollinator, Geothlypis trichas, belonging to the Parulidae family, has been identified in Southern California.

The fruit is a dehiscent capsule, woody in texture and hard. Each capsule contains 60 to 80 seeds. 

The seeds have an oval-spherical shape, diameter ± 4 mm, while part of the seed coat is aril. The color of the seeds is dark brown to black, while the arils are yellowish orange to orange.

The Bird of Paradise adapts perfectly to the tropical and many subtropical regions of the planet, where winters are mild.

Minimum tolerance temperatures range between 0 and -1.1 °C. However, before these values reflect its sensitivity to frost, it has been observed that fully established plants can withstand short-term low temperatures down to -4 °C (24 °F).

Of course in this case, the over ground part of the plant suffers small or large damage. Depending on the damage that will occur, the plant will recover after 1½ to 2 years.

With high temperatures the problems are minimal, as it can withstand high values ranging between 38 and 40 °C.

The Strelitzia reginae is not at all demanding in terms of soil type and texture, as long as the planting site has excellent drainage.

However, its growth is favored in loamy soils, which are rich in organic matter, and are irrigated regularly. However, even in this case, and in these soils, fully established plants can withstand long periods of drought.

As for the reaction of the soil, the soil pH, it can range between 6 and 7.5, but the optimum range for the cultivation of the plant takes values between 6 and 6.5.

The Strelitzia reginae, with all the imperial displacement that bears its name, has only a few pests and a few diseases. How can achieved such a feat is something that the editorial team of “Kalliergeia” is looking for – and see no end in sight. Or rather, at sight, it records immediately below, to the glory of the plant.

• Chaetanaphothrips signipennis– Banana thrips
• Pentalonia nigronervosa – Banana aphid

• Rhabdoscelus obscurus – Cane weevil borer

• Aonidiella citrina– Yellow scale

• Rastrococcus invadens– Fruit tree mealybug

• Athelia rolfsii – Sclerotium rot

• Fusarium avenaceum– Foot rot of cereals

• Burkholderia cepacia– Sour skin of onion
• Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum ( Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora) – Bacterial ring rot of potato

• Ralstonia solanacearum (syn. Pseudomonas solanacearum) – Bacterial wilt of potato

The plant is characterized as slightly toxic to humans, and toxic to cats, dogs, horses, and livestock.

The fruits and seeds contain toxic tannins, and the leaves contain minimal amounts of hydrocyanic acid. Clinical symptoms of poison occur after chewing or swallowing, and include gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, mild nausea, drowsiness, and vomiting.

The Strelitzia, as an ornithophilous plant, does not produce wind-borne pollen, and therefore does not cause allergic reactions.

The Strelitzia reginae is a valuable and extremely popular ornamental plant. In colder climates it is grown in pots and indoors, while in milder climates, it decorates public and private outdoor green spaces.

Of course, the contribution of the plant to the cultivation of cut flowers is not negligible, where its impressive and long-lasting flower is offered either alone or in compositions, to give an exotic tone to any space or object placed.

But especially in Gardening and Landscape Architecture, Strelitzia could be said to be utilized:

• Because of its resistance to sea spray droplets, planted in coastal gardens
• By mass planting in soil or in pots next to swimming pools
• By mass planting on the shores of artificial lakes or streams
• Placed in groups, in prominent areas of gardens or homes
• Under deciduous or evergreen trees
• Combined with other ornamental plants, such as Agave‘Blue Glow’, Cerastium tomentosum (Snow-In-Summer), Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’ (Japanese Mock Orange), and Berberis thunbergii ‘Atropurpurea’ (Purple Japanese Barberry)

The References of the birdy article entitled Strelitzia reginae or Bird of Paradise – Description & Uses are presented by a prominent South African jazz musician, the late Philip Tabane and the Malombo, with the song Ngwana O Ya Lela.