Strelitzia juncea Seeds | Rush-leaved Strelitzia
LATIN NAME: Strelitzia juncea
COMMON NAME: Rush-leaved Strelitzia
Plant Profile
The rush-leaved strelitzia looks like a bundle of green sticks until it flowers. The leaves are reduced to cylindrical, rush-like petioles with almost no blade, and the plant forms a dense clump of these upright stems two metres tall.
It comes from a small area of the Eastern Cape near Uitenhage and Paterson, where it grows in dry thicket on stony ground. The species is listed as endangered, and its range is smaller than that of any other Strelitzia, which is why seed is scarce and expensive. A clump in flower looks like a handful of orange flags stuck into a broom, and the contrast is the reason the plant is grown.
Science & Biotechnology
The loss of the leaf blade is a water-saving adaptation, and the same reduction has evolved in unrelated plants of dry habitats. The petiole still photosynthesises, and its cylindrical shape presents a small surface to the sun and to the wind while keeping the stomata in grooves where the air is still.
The flower is built for sunbirds. The weight of a bird landing on the lower petal opens the sheath and deposits pollen on the bird’s feet, and the same mechanism works with the orange bird of paradise, though the two species have different pollinators in the wild. A plant grown indoors without a bird sets no seed, and hand pollination is the only way to get it. The plant also suckers from the base, so a clump widens slowly and can be divided in spring once it has flowered.
Uses & Benefits
The plant is grown as a specimen in dry gardens, in large containers and in Mediterranean-climate plantings, where its architecture is the point rather than its colour. The cut flowers last two weeks in water and are sold in the florist trade, though the stems are heavy and need a tall vase.
There is no crop use and no medicinal trade. In South Africa the species is protected, and wild seed collection is illegal without a permit. The plants in cultivation descend from a small number of accessions held by botanic gardens and specialist growers.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed after removing the orange aril, and soak it for a day in warm water. Germination is slow, from two to six months at twenty-five degrees, and the seedlings are prone to rot if the mix stays wet.
Plant out in full sun on sharply drained ground, and water only in the first two summers. The plant tolerates drought and light frost but not wet feet, and it flowers best where the roots are confined, which is why it does well in a large pot. Expect the first flower in the fourth or fifth year from seed.
Our Take
A strange, architectural, endangered plant for a hot dry garden, and one that looks like nothing else in the catalogue. Give it sun, drainage and time.
Related Reading
More species in the same orbit as Rush-leaved Strelitzia: