Bird of Paradise
Strelitzia reginae · Crane Flower
It grows in the coastal bush and riverbanks of South Africa, in full sun, throwing up stiff banana-like paddle leaves. Its famous orange flower is shaped like a crane's head, and it uses a landing bird's own feet to spread pollen.
Family
Strelitziaceae
Origin
South Africa
In the wild
Pollinated by birds
Indoors
1–1.5 m
Growth
Moderate
With pets
Toxic
Where it's from
Eastern coastal South Africa
South African coast
Native along the eastern coast from the Eastern Cape into northern KwaZulu-Natal, in sunny bush and riverbanks.
Outdoors: zones 10–12
Frost-tender. A landscape staple in Southern California, Florida and Mediterranean climates.
Secure in the wild
SANBI lists it as not threatened. Wide cultivation supplies demand and relieves pressure on wild stands.
It uses a bird's feet
When a sunbird lands on the blue perch petal to drink nectar, the petal snaps open and dusts the bird's feet with pollen. The plant literally uses the bird's legs as the delivery mechanism. The name honours royalty too: reginae means "of the queen," for Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
A crane in the flower
A hard beak-like spathe opens three orange sepals and three bright blue petals in sequence.
Shy to bloom indoors
It flowers only after years of growth in very bright light, and tends to bloom better when slightly pot-bound.
Watch the mislabel
Big indoor trees are usually the giant white Strelitzia nicolai, which very rarely blooms indoors.
How to keep it
LightBright, full to part sun
Give it the brightest spot you have. Screen only from the harshest midday summer sun.
WaterFreely in growth
Water freely in active growth, letting the top settle between drinks. Water sparingly in winter.
HumidityAverage is fineLikes warmth and humidity, but tolerates average room air.
TemperatureAbove 10–12°CTender. Flowers and leaves blacken with frost. Loves a sheltered summer outdoors.
SoilRich, loam-based mixFree-draining; a loam-based compost works well.
FeedingMonthly in growthA balanced liquid feed through the growing season. It responds well to feeding.
DifficultyIntermediateEasy to keep, hard to flower indoors. Patience and light are the whole game.
With petsToxicGI irritants, mainly in the fruit and seeds. Nausea, vomiting and drooling if eaten. Usually mild with prompt care.
PropagationDivisionDivide mature clumps in autumn. Seed is slow and named forms do not come true.
RepottingRarelyIt flowers better slightly pot-bound, so repot only when truly crowded.
What the data says
What it costs
Common in the trade, priced mostly by size rather than rarity.
$15–150
Small plants start around $15 to $40; larger floor specimens run $50 to $150 and up. 'Mandela's Gold' carries a premium, but nothing near the Monstera bubble.
The clean-air myth
Bird of Paradise was not even in the original NASA list, and for the plants that were, the lab result does not transfer.
100–1,000
plants per typical room would be needed to match normal ventilation (Cummings and Waring, 2019). NASA's 1989 result came from small sealed chambers. Enjoy it as an architectural plant.
IUCN · Not globally assessed
In the wild
The inverse of the smuggling story: cultivation protects the wild plant.
SANBI lists S. reginae as not threatened. It is so widely grown worldwide that the houseplant trade relieves pressure on wild stands rather than threatening them. Secure at home and in the wild.
When it sulks
Won't flower indoorsThe number one complaint: not enough light, or the plant is too young. It also blooms better when pot-bound.
Brown, crispy edgesLow humidity, underwatering, or salt and fertiliser buildup.
Split, shredded leavesLargely normal for big paddle leaves in wind or handling. Not a disease.
Yellowing lower leavesOverwatering and poor drainage, or natural ageing.
Blackened leavesCold damage. Leaves blacken below about 10°C or with frost.
Varieties & company
The varieties
Mandela's GoldStrelitzia reginaeStrelitzia nicolaivar. juncea
Pairs with · keep apart from
Fiddle-Leaf FigRubber PlantPalmsFernsCalatheaPeace Lily
A new plant, every week.
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