Strelitzia reginae, commonly known as the crane flower, bird of paradise, or isigude in Nguni, is a species of flowering plant native to the Cape Provinces and KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. An evergreen perennial, it is widely cultivated for its dramatic flowers. In temperate areas it is a popular houseplant.
Taxonomy
Joseph Banks described the species in 1788. The specific epithet reginae means “of the queen”, and commemorates the British queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The common name “bird of paradise” is due to the resemblance of the open inflorescence to the display plumage and pose of certain species of bird-of-paradise, which bore the name first. The name "crane flower" is in comparison to the head and beak of a crowned crane.
A new subspecies was discovered growing alongside the Mzimvubu River in South Africa’s Eastern Cape in 2002. When wild-collected plants began to flower in the greenhouse at Kirstenbosch, they were noted to have white, rather than the typical blue inner petals. They also had a shorter stigma (
Genetic analysis reveals Strelitzia juncea has been shown to be genetically nested within S. reginae. It is possibly a mutation that is in the process of speciating.
Description
Southern double-collared sunbird feeding on nectar
