Strelitzia alba Seeds | White Bird of Paradise
LATIN NAME: Strelitzia alba
COMMON NAME: White Bird of Paradise
Plant Profile
White bird of paradise is the least planted of the strelitzias, and that is a pity, because unlike most of them it makes a trunk. Older plants build a stem two to four metres high, sometimes more, topped by a fan of long, stiff, paddle-shaped leaves on thick stalks, and the whole thing looks like a small banana that has been trained by a sculptor. The flowers appear in the axils through winter and spring: a horizontal, boat-shaped spathe, green and purple, from which a white sepal and a blue-purple petal emerge in sequence, opening one at a time along the spike. It is native to a short stretch of the southern Cape coast of South Africa, where it grows in coastal forest on the edge of the sea, and it is pollinated by sunbirds, which perch on the spathe to reach the nectar.
Science & Biotechnology
The genus Strelitzia sits in the Strelitziaceae, alongside the traveller’s palm and the South American Phenakospermum, a distribution that records the breakup of Gondwana. The pollination mechanism is unusually precise: the spathe acts as a perch, the flower deposits pollen on the bird’s feet as it reaches in, and the next flower it visits receives it. S. alba is one of the few strelitzias with white flowers, and it is closely related to S. nicolai, which is larger, more widespread and much more commonly sold; the two are confused constantly in the trade. S. alba differs in its shorter stature, its narrower leaves and the details of the spathe. It is also one of the least genetically diverse of the genus, confined to a handful of coastal forest fragments, and it is a species of conservation concern in South Africa.
Uses & Benefits
It is a landscape plant for warm coastal gardens, where it can be used as a specimen, a screen or a background for lower planting, and where its size is an asset rather than a problem. In a cool climate it is a conservatory plant and will flower only when it has enough root room and enough light, which usually means a large tub and a glasshouse. The flowers are excellent cut and last for weeks, and the leaves are used in floristry. Unlike its relatives it does not spread by suckers to any great degree, so it stays where it is put. The seed carries a bright orange aril, which is eaten by birds; that is the dispersal mechanism, and it is also why seedlings can appear some distance from the parent plant in warm climates.
Growing from Seed
The seed has a hard, waxy coat, so soak it for two days in warm water, then nick the surface with a file and sow it in a deep pot of gritty compost at 25 to 28 °C. Germination is slow and erratic — six weeks to six months — and the first leaf emerges from the side of the seed rather than the top. Grow the seedling in full sun and a rich, well-drained mix, in a pot deep enough for the taproot. Plant out in a frost-free coastal garden in a sheltered, sunny position with room for the fan to spread. Water generously in summer and sparingly in winter. Flowering from seed takes four to seven years, and the plant flowers best when slightly pot-bound.
Our Take
A big, architectural, slightly tender plant for a warm coast or a conservatory, and a reminder that the rarest strelitzia is not the showiest.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow White Bird of Paradise often pair it with these related subjects: