White Bird of Paradise - Strelitzia nicolai

The White Bird of Paradise tree (also called the Giant Bird of Paradise) is like a cross between a Palm tree and a Banana tree. The resemblance to the Banana tree lies in its leaves that are very similar in shape, color and size. The resemblance to the Palm lies in the stem which is someone thiner than most palms but looks quite similar. The flower of this tree is like a giant version of the Bird of Paradise plant (from the same family) although somewhat less attractive. Check out rarepalmseeds.com for info and seeds of this pseudo palm.

The large banana like leaves spread out in two directions in a symmetrical manner that creates an attractive effect for parks and gardens.
The White Bird of Paradise tends to grow in clusters with multiple stems growing out of a single base. I´ve seen some clusters with more than a dozen stems. These stems can grow to about 30-35 feet tall (this is my own estimate based on the observation of a large cluster in the Paseo del Parque, Malaga, Spain). The image below is from the Jardines de Picaso in Malaga.

6 comments:

  1. Have you ever heard the song lyrics of: May the bird of paradise fly up your nose.

    I always thought that was about a bird, but now I'm wondering if it is about a tree.

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  2. thats probably about a bird.(because trees cannot fly

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  3. I have one of these giant bird of paradise plants. Does anyone know what to do if they suffer from a severe freeze. I specifically want to know how to trim it back.

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  4. is it safe to use the leaves for cooking?

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  5. Not recommended, until you learn what they are used for medicinely, such as to abort in the first trimester. Also used for coughs :) Google it

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