Species in Strelitzia

Strelitzia nicolai is the largest species in the genus, an evergreen, multi-stemmed tree-like plant up to about 10 to 12 m tall that forms dense clumps, native to the coast of southeastern Africa. Its smooth gray stems carry enormous, glossy gray-green, banana-like leaves on long stalks, with blades up to 2 m long that often tear in the wind. The inflorescence, up to 50 cm long, consists of several purplish blue, boat-shaped spathes from which flowers with white sepals and a blue tongue emerge. Flowering is sporadic through the year. The black seeds bear a bright orange woolly aril. The epithet honours Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaievich, son of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia. Sunbirds visit the flowers for nectar. The species tolerates salty coastal winds and some drought but not severe frost, and its aggressive roots should be kept away from structures when grown outdoors.

Strelitzia reginae is a tufted, evergreen, stemless perennial up to about 1.5 m tall and 2 m across, endemic to the eastern coast of South Africa. Its fleshy, finger-like roots support banana-like leaves arranged in a fan, with blades about 50 cm long and 10 cm wide that sometimes have red edges. A flowering stalk about 70 cm tall bears a boat-shaped spathe about 20 cm long, from which 4 to 6 flowers with orange sepals and blue to purple petals emerge in succession, resembling the head of a crane. The fruit is a woody capsule containing black seeds with a tuft of orange to yellow hairs. The epithet reginae means of the queen. Yellow-flowered selections such as 'Mandela's Gold' are also grown. The species is widely cultivated as a garden plant, pot plant and cut flower. The fruit and seeds can cause mild nausea, vomiting and drowsiness in dogs, cats and horses if eaten.