Strelitzia reginae

Strelitzia reginae is a lush perennial plant with tropical accents that fully deserves its name of bird of paradise. Its large flowers, mimicking the head of an exotic bird with ruffled feathers of a light and vibrant orange and equipped with a long purplish-violet beak, emerge from an erect clump of large leaves resembling those of banana trees, with a greyish-green colour. The main flowering occurs in spring and summer. All gardeners can admire it in a large pot on a terrace. Its cultivation presents no difficulty in fertile and fresh soil in summer, drier in winter.

Strelitzia reginae belongs to the Strelitziaceae family, composed of 5 known species, all originating from clearings and banks along South African rivers. This rhizomatous perennial plant, whose aerial stem is apparently absent, forms a huge evergreen clump capable of reaching a height of 1.8 m (5.9 ft), which spreads laterally by producing shoots over more than 1 m (3.3 ft). The long petiolate leaves are arranged in 2 rows, and measure 30 cm (11.8 in) in length and 12 cm (4.7 in) in width. Their truncate and more or less cordate lamina is greenish-grey in colour, satin, with a sometimes purple-tinged median line. Flowering takes place from June to September. From a green spathe edged with red or purple, 20 cm (7.9 in) long, emerge orange flowers with a blue-violet lip, whose shape resembles an arrowhead. The flowering is followed by the formation of capsules containing seeds with a filamentous envelope, often somewhat reddish.

In floristry, Strelitzia reginae is the ultimate exotic cut flower, due to its extraordinary structure and its vibrant orange and blue colours. It is also a very beautiful conservatory plant, which only fears the cold and proves easy to grow as long as it does not lack water or food during the growing season. It is easy to create an exotic setting around the Strelitzia, by planting it with cannas, castor oil plants, Melianthus major, Billbergia nutans, a small banana tree, gingers, and a small palm tree such as Sabal minor for example.