Strelitzia
| Strelitzia | |
|---|---|
| File:Strelitzia larger.jpg | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Zingiberales |
| Family: | Strelitziaceae |
| Genus: | Strelitzia Banks[1][2] |
| Type species | |
| Strelitzia reginae | |
| Species | |
Strelitzia /strɛˈlɪtsiə/[3] is a genus of five species of perennial plant, native to South Africa. It belongs to the plant family Strelitziaceae.[4] A common name of the genus is bird of paradise flower/plant, because of a resemblance of its flowers to birds-of-paradise. In South Africa, it is commonly known as a crane flower.
Two of the species, S. nicolai and S. reginae, are frequently grown as houseplants.[5] It is the floral emblem of the City of Los Angeles[6] and is featured on the reverse of the South African 50-cent coin.
Taxonomy
[edit | edit source]The genus was named by Joseph Banks in honour of the British queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.[7][8]
Description
[edit | edit source]The species S. nicolai is the largest in the genus, reaching 10 m (33 ft) tall, with stately white and blue flowers;[9] the other species typically reach 2.0 to 3.5 m (6 ft 7 in to 11 ft 6 in) tall, except S. caudata, which is a tree of a typically smaller size than S. nicolai.
The leaves are large, 30 to 200 cm (1 ft 0 in to 6 ft 7 in) long and 10 to 80 cm (3.9 in to 2 ft 7.5 in) 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.
Biology and propagation
[edit | edit source]They are pollinated by sunbirds and blue-faced honeyeaters, which perch on and drink from the spathe. The weight of the bird when standing on the spathe opens it to release the pollen onto the bird's feet, which is then deposited on the next spathe it visits. It is believed to be the only genus of plants pollinated by the feet of birds.[10] Strelitzia species lack natural insect pollinators; in areas without sunbirds, plants in this genus generally need hand pollination to successfully set seed.[11]
Species and hybrids
[edit | edit source]Five species are recognised, although one—S. juncea—has been shown to be genetically nested within another, S. reginae. It is possibly a mutation that is in the process of speciating.[12]
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- Strelitzia × kewensis (artificial hybrid between S. reginae and S. augusta)
Allergenicity
[edit | edit source]Plants in the genus Strelitzia produce no wind-borne pollen, and have an OPALS allergy scale rating of 1, meaning a very low risk of causing allergic reaction.[11]
Journal
[edit | edit source]Strelitzia is also the name of the botanic journal of the Pretoria-based National Botanical Institute,[14] which has since been converted into the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). The Strelitzia journal replaced Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa and Annals of the Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens.[15]
References
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- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607, Sunset Books
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- ^ Strelitzia juncae, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Error creating thumbnail: File missing Media related to Lua error in Module:Commons_link at line 62: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). at Wikimedia Commons
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