Strelitzia
| Strelitzia | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| (unranked): | Commelinids |
| Order: | Zingiberales |
| Family: | Strelitziaceae |
| Genus: | Strelitzia Ait. |
| Species | |
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See text |
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Strelitzia (
/strɛˈlɪtsiə/)[1] 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. A 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, with stately white and blue flowers;[2] the other species typically reach 2 to 3.5 m tall, except S. caudata which is a tree of a typically smaller size than S. nicolai. 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.
[edit] Species and hybrids
- Strelitzia alba (syn. S. augusta) – White bird of paradise;
- Strelitzia caudata – Mountain Strelitzia;
- Strelitzia nicolai – White or Giant bird of paradise; Wild banana; Blue-and-white Strelitzia[2]
- Strelitzia reginae (syn. S. parvifolia) – Strelitzia, Bird of paradise, or Crane lily;
- Strelitzia juncea (Ker Gawl.) – African desert banana. Cite.
- S. × kewensis (hybrid between S. reginae and S. augusta)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Strelitzia |
- ^ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
- ^ a b Eliovson, Sima (1981). Shrubs, trees, and climbers. Macmillan South Africa. ISBN 0869540114. http://books.google.co.uk/books?client=firefox-a&id=6Yg_AAAAYAAJ&dq=strelitzia+nicolai+height+of+10+metres%22&q=banana-like#search_anchor. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
