Strelitzia

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Genus of flowering plants

title: "Strelitzia" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["strelitziaceae", "zingiberales-genera", "taxa-named-by-joseph-banks"] description: "Genus of flowering plants" topic_path: "general/strelitziaceae" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strelitzia" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of flowering plants ::

| image = Strelitzia larger.jpg | taxon = Strelitzia | authority = Banks | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text | type_species = Strelitzia reginae ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Strelitzia_reginae_MHNT.BOT.2009.13.52.jpg" caption="S. reginae]]'' fruit capsules and seeds – [[MHNT"] ::

Strelitzia is a genus of five species of perennial plant, native to South Africa. It belongs to the plant family Strelitziaceae. 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. It is the floral emblem of the City of Los Angeles 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.

Description

The species S. nicolai is the largest in the genus, reaching 10 m (33 ft) tall, with stately white and blue flowers; the other species typically reach 2.0 to tall, except S. caudata, which is a tree of a typically smaller size than S. nicolai.

The leaves are large, 30 to long and 10 to 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. Strelitzia species lack natural insect pollinators; in areas without sunbirds, plants in this genus generally need hand pollination to successfully set seed.

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.

::data[format=table]

ImageScientific nameCommon nameNative distribution
[[File:Strelitzia alba 001.jpg120px]]Strelitzia alba (syn. S. augusta)White bird of paradise
[[File:Fleur du Strelitzia Caudata . Elle est très ressemblante a celle du Strelitzia Nicolai ( Strelitzia blanc ).jpg120px]]Strelitzia caudataMountain strelitzia
[[File:Strelizia nicolai.JPG120px]]Strelitzia nicolaiWhite bird of paradise or giant bird of paradise; wild banana; blue-and-white strelitzia
[[File:Bird of Paradise (2367720567).jpg120px]]Strelitzia reginae (syn. S. parvifolia)Strelitzia, bird of paradise, or crane lily
[[File:Strelitzia juncea flower.jpg120px]]Strelitzia juncea (Ker Gawl.)African desert banana
::

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. The Strelitzia has been referred to in popular anime Darling in the Franxx as the Franxx which Zero Two pilots. The other Franxx also share this characteristic, being named after Argentea, Genista, Delphinium, and Chlorophytum. In the anime, Strelitzia has a white and yellow color scheme and resembles a girl. Streltzia appears larger than the other Franxx. --

Journal

Strelitzia is also the name of the botanic journal of the Pretoria-based National Botanical Institute, 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.

References

References

  1. . (n.d.). ["Strelitzia Banks"](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:37365-1). *The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew*.
  2. . (n.d.). ["Strelitzia Banks"](https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/8W3VC). *Species 2000*.
  3. ''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607, [[Sunset Books]]
  4. "Tropical Flower Guide".
  5. "Our House Plants - Bird of Paradise".
  6. (2024-11-14). "On the precipice of turning 40, I sometimes wonder: Where can one find paradise?".
  7. (2017). "Strelitzia reginae Banks".
  8. (August 2011). "Strelitzia reginae".
  9. Eliovson, Sima. (1981). "Shrubs, trees, and climbers". Macmillan South Africa.
  10. Bright, Michael. (2001). "1000 Wonders of Nature". Reader's Digest Association, Ltd..
  11. (2015). "The Allergy-Fighting Garden". Ten Speed Press.
  12. (2012). "Phylogenetic Relationships and Evolution in the Strelitziaceae (Zingiberales)". Systematic Botany.
  13. {{usurped
  14. (1994). "Strelitzia.".
  15. (23 March 2018). "Strelitzia".

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strelitziaceaezingiberales-generataxa-named-by-joseph-banks