h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

These flowers are well known and cultivated in all the warmer parts of the world, but they are native to South Africa. They occur mostly in dryish thicket in the Eastern Cape region, but they are now grown all over the country. I have some nice specimens in my garden, and they are currently flowering wonderfully - see these pictures:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Weird%20and%20Wonderful%20Plants/Strelitzia4b.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Weird%20and%20Wonderful%20Plants/Strelitzia2b.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Weird%20and%20Wonderful%20Plants/Strelitzia3b.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Weird%20and%20Wonderful%20Plants/Strelitzia1b.jpg

These plants don't have conspicuous surface stems, but the leaves can grow over 2 m tall, with the flowers carried a bit higher still. In time they will spread to form clumps. These clumps can be divided and in this way one plant can, over time, be multiplied into several. It is said that they grow slowly, but in a favourable climate this is not so. They do best where it is warm, no frost, and moderate rain/watering throughout the year. They do not like wet conditions, but they can stand drought - too dry, and the plants will be stunted compared to well-watered ones. They thrive in full sun as well as light shade. They can be planted in large containers but may in time 'break' a pot by the expansion of the underground parts.

The 'flower' is actually an inflorescence, containing several flowers. The lower pointed part (the 'beak' of the crane) is called the 'spathe', and the actual flowers emerge from it. They emerge in sequence, eventually drying up, but often on a particularly fine inflorescence, several fresh flowers will remain, like a 'fan' of flowers (see my fourth photo above). Each flower contains blue petals (on the right, above the 'beak' on all my photos), of which two are joined into a pointed nectary, above which the brilliant orange sepals stand out like flags. Sunbirds (pretty small nectar-drinking birds) come visit the flowers, perching on the blue petals, that open up and distribute pollen over the birds' feet.

This species is one of five belonging to the genus Strelitzia. This genus is restricted to Southern Africa. Along with Strelitzia reginae, another similar species, Strelitzia juncea, the African Desert Banana, or Rush-leaved Strelitzia, occurs in the Eastern Cape, but in drier and colder areas. Unlike the broad, banana-plant-like leaves of the former, the latter has highly reduced leaf blades, so that the leaves look like straight, pointed spears. But its flowers look almost exactly like those of the Crane Flower. This species is endangered.

Then there are three much larger species, or Tree Strelitzias. In these, there is an above-ground, woody stem, that can grow to 10 m tall, carrying the huge banana-plant-like leaves. These leaves often get shredded into tatters by the coastal wind bearing grains of sand. Only when protected will they remain entire. The three tree-sized Strelitzias bear flowers similar to those of the smaller species, but they are less colourful - usually creamy-white, with the spathe being bluish-green. They are sometimes called wild bananas. They are related to banana plants, but in a different family. The White Strelitzia, Strelitzia alba occurs only in moist regions in the Southern Cape; the Blue-and-White Strelitzia, Strelitzia nicolai, occurs in coastal forest and bush from the eastern Cape to northern Natal; the Mountain Strelitzia, Strelitzia caudata, occurs in mountain forests from the Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces of South Africa, to eastern Zimbabwe.

Strelitzia nicolai is also often grown. Its huge leaves give a tropical, luxuriant effect (when protected against shredding), and its flowers are *almost* as spectacular as those of the Crane Flower - in addition to multiple flowers arising from each spathe, in this species several spathes will emerge one on top of another!

Strelitzias have two close relatives. One is the Traveller's Palm of Madagascar, Ravenala madagascariensis, a spectacular palm-like plant with huge leaves, arising in a fan-like arrangement where thesheaths along the lower petioles often hold small pools of water. Its flowers are similar to those of Strelitzias but not as colourful. This species is sometimes cultivated in warm regions, also here in South Africa.

Then there's the little-known Phenakospermum, which occurs in South America. Thus the family has a 'disjointed' distribution, with just a small patch on southeast Africa, and Madagascar, and eastern South America. Phenakospermum guianense is a tall and slender species with fan-like leaves similar to Ravenala, and similar flowers. It occurs in tropical rainforest.

Other similar plants, somewhat more distantly related, are the Heliconias of tropical America and Indonesia. These are very diverse ... perhaps 200 species ... and also often have very colourful flowers of a great variety of shapes.

All these plants are in the Zingiberales ... monocotyledonous plants to which Gingers, Bananas and Cannas also belong.

Oooh how interesting Willem! These grow here in massed effect as the decorations for roadside verges (in place of hedges for instance) I didn´t know before where they had originated from.

Neither did I know that they were related to the Gingers/Zingiberales. A year or so ago I brought over some corms of decorative gingers, which I tried to establish here, but I wasn´t here long enough to succeed with them. I might have another go.


I´m going to return to the UK next week, so can find a replacement camera for the one I dropped. Then I can take some photos too!

I can see why they're called 'crane flowers'. They look like origami cranes. Very pretty.

Their common name over here and in the UK is ´Bird of Paradise´ - which is rather good I think

That's their common name here, too.

Hi folks! Thanks for the comments! Yes, I know of the 'Bird-of-Paradise-flower' name as well, and it is fitting! As for the 'Crane Flower' name, apart from origami cranes, here's another crane that the flowers remind one of:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Grey_Crowned_Crane2.jpg

The golden crown of the crane is very similar to the golden-orange sepals of the Crane Flower.