The strelitzia or bird of paradise
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325793)
Rockingham, Australia
October 22, 2017 1:15am CST
A friend gave me a bunch of flowers recently and included among them was this strelitzia, more commonly known as a ‘bird of paradise’.
These are perennials and native to South Africa where they are also known as ‘crane flowers’. Their image appears on the reverse of the 50c coin. One of the five species can grow to 10 metres tall.
Other interesting points are:
• It is the floral emblem of Los Angeles
• Two of the species are popular as house plants
• They are pollinated by birds which sit on the stout spathe from which the petals emerge. The weight of the bird opens up the spathe releasing pollen onto the bird’s feet.
They are certainly a very lovely plant.
The photo was taken by Vince.
12 people like this
12 responses
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
22 Oct 17
The bird of Paradise is my favourite flowers these and arum lilies!
4 people like this
@JudyEv (325793)
• Rockingham, Australia
22 Oct 17
@LadyDuck @garymarsh6 Arum lilies were introduced into Australia as garden plants and are now a noxious weed. However they do look beautiful scattered throughout the green paddocks in the wetter areas.
3 people like this
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
22 Oct 17
There is a huge bird of paradise in front where I live. Big as a tree.
2 people like this
@silvermist (19702)
• India
25 Oct 17
That is a strange and beautiful looking flower.That is a good photo .
1 person likes this
@silvermist (19702)
• India
27 Oct 17
@JudyEv Yes,I have never seen the bird of the same name.Have you?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325793)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 Oct 17
@silvermist Here's a photo of a crane. I suppose it looks a bit the same. 
Photo from Wikimedia. Attribution: cuatrok77 (SARUS CRANE Uploaded by Amada44) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Some of the birds called 'birds of paradise' seem to have feathers on the top of the head but I couldn't find a decent photo of one.
Photo from Wikimedia. Attribution: cuatrok77 (SARUS CRANE Uploaded by Amada44) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Some of the birds called 'birds of paradise' seem to have feathers on the top of the head but I couldn't find a decent photo of one.
only great philosophers like us could recognize this of course. 
@JudyEv (325793)
• Rockingham, Australia
22 Oct 17
It is very unusual isn't it? Not your normal 'daisy' type of flower.
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
24 Oct 17
It does look like a bird. Pretty.
1 person likes this
@craftsmart (265)
• United States
22 Oct 17
I love Birds of Paradise. And as a person who lives near Los Angeles, I've seen plenty around. They are truly beautiful and add tons of color.
1 person likes this
