Strelitzia reginae
Strelitzia reginae, commonly known as the crane flower, bird of paradise, or 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, wife of George III. Common names such as “crane flower” and “bird of paradise” reference the open flower’s resemblance to the head and beak of a colourful exotic bird. 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 ( vs. ) and subtle differences of the leaves. The new subspecies is called Strelitzia reginae subsp. mzimvubuensis. 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 The plant grows to tall,