Strelitzias – Birds of Paradise

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From autumn to spring we know we do live in paradise. This is when the beautiful flowers of Strelitzias are on display.

In 1976, the decision had to be made about South Africa’s national flower. It must have been a difficult toss-up between Strelitzia reginae (crane flower or bird-of-paradise) and Protea cynaroides (king protea). Both have unique stunning blooms, and they are both endemic to our country. The protea won the contest, but the crane flower was at least honoured on the reverse side of a 50c coin. And it is so loved by the rest of the world that it became the civic emblem for the city of Los Angeles!

The genus name, Strelitzia, has quite a colonial connotation, as it was derived from the house of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the birthplace of Queen Charlotte, wife of King George lll of England.

There are five strelitzias that are indigenous to South Africa. S. reginae, S. juncea and S. nicolai are readily available and commonly planted in home gardens. Strelitzia alba and Strelitzia caudata are two arborescent banana-like strelitzias. They, however, are not widely cultivated for the nursery trade.

The one thing they all have in common is an exotic-looking flower that resembles the head of a crane or birds ready to take flight. The flowers are boat-shaped spathes crested by bright orange sepals and deep-blue petals. Theses striking flowers not only look good, but they contain large quantities of nectar which is irresistible to sunbirds and other pollinators.

READ MORE: Learn about ways you can help attract more birds to your garden.

Strelitzia Varieties

Strelitzia reginae (crane flower)

This stemless perennial, which has a mature size of about 1.5m x 2m, grows from the Eastern Cape near Humansdorp to northern KwaZulu-Natal. It grows in dappled shade, in coastal thickets and forest margins, and along river banks in full sun.

It produces a thick clump of very attractive grey-green, spear-like leaves arranged in a formal, fan-like pattern. Young leaves sometimes have a pink tinge to their central ribs and feel smooth to the touch. The leaves are as popular in the floral art world as the flowers.

The inflorescence, produced on a tall and thick cylindrical stem, holds a horizontal, waxy, boat-like spathe in hues of green and rusty purple, and is crested by erect orange sepals and deep-blue to dark-purple petals. The spathe acts as a landing place for sugar birds and the whole package secretes a glutinous liquid they love to feast on while pollinating the plants. These extremely elegant and stately flowers last very well in the vase.

Strelitzia reginae ‘Mandela’s Gold’

This strelitzia has golden-yellow sepals and a less robust growth habit. It was selected and hand pollinated around 1970 at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, where it was first named ‘Kirstenbosch Gold’. After many years, there was finally enough stock of this form for gardeners to plant. It was renamed in 1996 to honour Nelson Mandela.

Strelitzia juncea (Rush-leaved strelitzia)

This is a sought-after species that in nature occurs very sparingly in arid regions near Uitenhage (Kariega), Patensie and just north of Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha). It has long and tough dull grey-green cylindrical pointed stems. The flowers are similar but slightly smaller than those of S. reginae, and are held just below the level of the highest leaf tips. This is a very slow grower.

Strelitzia reginae var. parvifolia

Commonly known as the spoon leaf strelitzia, this strelitzia is believed to be a natural cross between the other two clump-forming species of S. reginae, S. juncea. The rush-like leaf stalks end in small, spoon-shaped leaves resembling butter knives.

Strelitzia nicolai (Natal wild banana)

Strelitzia nicolai is an arborescent banana-like multi-stemmed plant resembling a tropical palm. It has long and thick leaf stems with enormous luscious leaves up to 2m in length are attached to the woody stems. The leaves often tear into ribbons in strong winds, making them look like giant feathers. The compound inflorescences (more than one flower sits double-decker style on top of each other) have dark grey to maroon spathes, white sepals and mauve petals. The interesting, but very messy, sticky blooms appear from spring to late summer.

A vigorous root system and a monstrous size of 12m x 4m can mean that this plant often causes great upheaval in a garden not large enough for it. It eats up foundations and breaks walls with ease. It also sprouts at its base, thickening the clumpy growth in no time!

This strelitzia is valued for its tropical foliage instead of its flowers. It is has become a very popular large house plant you can keep in a roomy container in bright light indoors. Planting it in a container will inhibit its size for many years without harm.

Dividing Strelitzias

Strelitzia reginae has a vigorous root ball made of fleshy finger-like roots. Something to keep in mind is that these plants are very difficult to dig up and move, so plan for their large mature size when planting. You can divide strelitzias in autumn if you want more plants. But beware, this is a backbreaking job. Also, after dividing the plants it will take a few years before they start flowering well again. You can try your hand at growing Strelitzias from the hard black seeds, each with a tuft of bright orange aril. It should start flowering after 3 – 4 years.

Strelitzias in containers

All the species mentioned here are suitable to grow as focal plants in good-sized containers. Add a good drainage layer to prevent roots from rotting. Use a good quality potting soil mixed with compost and slow-release fertiliser prior to planting. Water potted strelitzias more regularly (without overdoing it!) and feed regularly during the hotter months of the year with a water-soluble fertiliser.

General growing needs for strelitzias

• Plant in full sun or light shade
• Supply well-drained, compost-rich soil
• Water young plants regularly during summer. Once established, they have medium to low water needs and can survive periods of drought very well
• A well-prepared planting hole with compost and slow-release fertiliser is usually sufficient, but you can boost immature specimens with fertiliser applications in spring and again in late summer
• Neaten the plants by removing spent flowers and stems. You can also cut off any tatty leaves.