''Strelitzia'' is a genus of five species of perennial plants, native to South Africa. It belongs to the plant family

Strelitziaceae The Strelitziaceae comprise a family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants, very similar in appearance and growth habit to members of the related families Heliconiaceae and Musaceae (banana family). The three genera with seven sp ...

. The genus is named after Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom, who was born a princess of the house of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. A

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

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 and is featured on the reverse of the 50-cent coin. It is the floral emblem of the City of Los Angeles; two of the species, '' S. nicolai'' and '' S. reginae'', are frequently grown as houseplants.

Description

The species ''S. nicolai'' is the largest in the genus, reaching 10 m (33 ft) tall, with stately white and blue flowers; the other species typically reach 2.0 to 3.5 m tall, except ''S. caudata'', which is a tree of a typically smaller size than ''S. nicolai''. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are large, 30–200 cm long and 10–80 cm 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

They are pollinated by sunbirds, which perch on and drink from the spathe. The weight of the bird when standing on the spathe opens it to release the

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametophyt ...

onto the bird's feet, which is then deposited on the next spathe it visits. ''Strelitzia'' species lack natural insect pollinators; in areas without sunbirds, plants in this genus generally need hand pollination to successfully set seed.

Species and hybrids

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. *''

Strelitzia × kewensis ''Strelitzia'' is a genus of five species of perennial plants, native to South Africa. It belongs to the plant family Strelitziaceae. The genus is named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom, who was bor ...

'' ( hybrid between ''S. reginae'' and ''S. augusta'')

Allergenicity

Plants in the genus ''Strelitzia '' produce no wind-borne

, and have an

OPALS Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) is a spacecraft communication instrument developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory that was tested on the International Space Station (ISS) from 18 April 2014 to 17 July 2014 to demonstrate the te ...

allergy scale rating of 1, meaning a very low risk of causing allergic reaction.

Etymology

The genus was named by

Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James ...

in honour of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, queen consort of George III.

Symbolism

Strelitzia's flower language has many meanings, including success, freedom, immortality, loyalty, love, thoughtfulness and optimism. It is also a symbol of the 9th wedding anniversary Freedom - Strelitzia symbolizes freedom and overcoming difficulties, reminding people not to stick to the present, but to see a wider world Loyalty - Strelitzia symbolizes loyalty to a lover, and people present Strelitzia to their partners on the 9th anniversary of marriage to express their wholeheartedness Optimism - Strelitzia chinensis symbolizes optimism and positive energy, and inspires people not to give up when they are in trouble Success - Strelitzia is a symbol of success in life and is given when congratulating someone on an important moment in life such as graduating from college

Journal

''Strelitzia'' is also the name of the botanic journal of the Pretoria-based National Botanical Institute, which has since been converted into the South African National Biodiversity Institute (

SANBI The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) is an organisation established in 2004 in terms of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, No 10 of 2004, under the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (l ...

). The ''Strelitzia'' journal replaced ''Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa'' and Annals of the Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens''.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Strelitziaceae Zingiberales genera Taxa named by Joseph Banks