Bird of Paradise

DESCRIPTION

bird-of-paradise flower, (Strelitzia reginae), also called crane flower, ornamental plant of the family Strelitziaceae native to South Africa. The plant is grown outdoors in warm climates and as a houseplant for its attractive foliage and unusual flowers. It is named for its resemblance to the showy forest birds known as birds-of-paradise.



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bird-of-paradise flower

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Alternate titles: Strelitzia reginae, crane flower

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BY The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica | View Edit History
bird-of-paradise flower, (Strelitzia reginae), also called crane flower, ornamental plant of the family Strelitziaceae native to South Africa. The plant is grown outdoors in warm climates and as a houseplant for its attractive foliage and unusual flowers. It is named for its resemblance to the showy forest birds known as birds-of-paradise.

Bird-of-paradise flower

Bird-of-paradise flower (Strelitzia reginae).
Copyright C.K. Lorenz/Photo Researchers
Physical description
The bird-of-paradise flower grows from rhizomes (underground stems) to a height of 1 to 1.5 metres (about 3 to 5 feet). It has stiff, erect, leathery, concave, and oblong leaves borne on a long petiole (leafstalk). The leaves are bluish green in colour and may have a red midrib. The orange and blue flower has two erect pointed petals and five stamens. One main flower bract, shaped like a boat, is green with red borders. The fruits are capsules with numerous seeds.

Other species

Two other members of the genus Strelitzia are commonly known as bird-of-paradise flowers. White bird-of-paradise (Strelitzia alba) and giant bird-of-paradise (S. nicolai) both feature white- to cream-coloured flowers and are sometimes cultivated.

The desert bird-of-paradise, or bird-of-paradise bush (Erythrostemon gilliesii), is an unrelated shrub of the pea family (Fabaceae) native to South America and naturalized elsewhere. The dwarf poinciana (Caesalpinia pulcherrima), a showy tree grown throughout the American tropics and subtropics, is sometimes known as the Mexican bird-of-paradise or red bird-of-paradise.