Bird of Paradise
Bird Of Paradise:
Genus Strelitzia
Common : Strelitzia, Crane Flower or Bird of Paradise.....
Strelitzia reginae is a monocotyledonous Flowering Plant ….
(Monocotyledonous: Flowering plant that has a single leaf in the seed and floral parts in multiples of three).
Bird of Paradise is indigenous to South Africa.
lt is grown in India in regions such as the Western Ghats, Kerala, Karnataka ..
The Bird of Paradise is grown Bangalore as a familiar ornamental plant.
Bird of Paradise prefers moderate humidity,
The plant grows to 2 m (6½ ft) tall, with large- strong leaves .
The leaves are evergreen and arranged in two ranks, making a fan-shaped crown.
Long stemmed flowers emerge from green boat-shaped bracts .. which are bordered in red or purple.
(Bracts a modified leaf that arises from the stem at the point where the flower or flower cluster develops).
Many pointed petals of brilliant orange are contrasted with an arrow-shaped tongue of vibrant -inkish blue.
The flowers stand above the foliage at the tips of long stalks.
The hard, beak-like sheath from which the flower emerges is termed the spathe.
This is placed upright on the stem, which gives it the look of a bird's head and beak…
thus making a resilient rest for the birds which help pollinate the flowers.
The flowers, which emerge one at a time from the spathe, have three brilliant orange sepals and three purplish-blue petals.
Two of the blue petals are connected - to form an arrow-like nectary.
When the birds sit to drink the nectar, the petals open to coat their feet in pollen.
Bird of Paradise when blooms, is a spectacular sight but with all its glorious exotic beauty…
The Bird of Paradise- flower has no scent. …
The Strelitzia reginae (Bird of Paradise) prefers full sun.
This may require some daily misting during the dry summer months Of Andhra-Pradesh.
Over watering in Monsoon can lead to root rot.
Strelitzia reginae are relatively pest free.
I know I need a lot of patience while growing this plant as it is slow-growing and may take a while to bloom.
To get a mature plant from seed takes three to five years.
It flowers only when properly established and division of the plant may affect flowering patterns.
The flowers are, however, quite long-lasting once they appear.
Propagation
The Bird of Paradise can be propagated by either seeds or division of the crowns.
Seeds take considerably longer than division to grow into a blooming plant.
Right now a bud has appeared after 5 years of planting ..and is creating quite a buzz in my garden.. .. where my husband, servants and myself are looking at it in wonder - - for its expected_majestic opening. Every second day the bud is – eagerly photographed …..to see how much it has transformed.
Genus Strelitzia
Common : Strelitzia, Crane Flower or Bird of Paradise.....
Strelitzia reginae is a monocotyledonous Flowering Plant ….
(Monocotyledonous: Flowering plant that has a single leaf in the seed and floral parts in multiples of three).
Bird of Paradise is indigenous to South Africa.
lt is grown in India in regions such as the Western Ghats, Kerala, Karnataka ..
The Bird of Paradise is grown Bangalore as a familiar ornamental plant.
Bird of Paradise prefers moderate humidity,
The plant grows to 2 m (6½ ft) tall, with large- strong leaves .
The leaves are evergreen and arranged in two ranks, making a fan-shaped crown.
Long stemmed flowers emerge from green boat-shaped bracts .. which are bordered in red or purple.
(Bracts a modified leaf that arises from the stem at the point where the flower or flower cluster develops).
Many pointed petals of brilliant orange are contrasted with an arrow-shaped tongue of vibrant -inkish blue.
The flowers stand above the foliage at the tips of long stalks.
The hard, beak-like sheath from which the flower emerges is termed the spathe.
This is placed upright on the stem, which gives it the look of a bird's head and beak…
thus making a resilient rest for the birds which help pollinate the flowers.
The flowers, which emerge one at a time from the spathe, have three brilliant orange sepals and three purplish-blue petals.
Two of the blue petals are connected - to form an arrow-like nectary.
When the birds sit to drink the nectar, the petals open to coat their feet in pollen.
Bird of Paradise when blooms, is a spectacular sight but with all its glorious exotic beauty…
The Bird of Paradise- flower has no scent. …
The Strelitzia reginae (Bird of Paradise) prefers full sun.
This may require some daily misting during the dry summer months Of Andhra-Pradesh.
Over watering in Monsoon can lead to root rot.
Strelitzia reginae are relatively pest free.
I know I need a lot of patience while growing this plant as it is slow-growing and may take a while to bloom.
To get a mature plant from seed takes three to five years.
It flowers only when properly established and division of the plant may affect flowering patterns.
The flowers are, however, quite long-lasting once they appear.
Propagation
The Bird of Paradise can be propagated by either seeds or division of the crowns.
Seeds take considerably longer than division to grow into a blooming plant.
9th January 2011:
As mentioned above:
Originally the Bird of Paradises grow wild on the banks of South Africa -- it’s indigenous to scrublands of Africa and Brazil.Right now a bud has appeared after 5 years of planting ..and is creating quite a buzz in my garden.. .. where my husband, servants and myself are looking at it in wonder - - for its expected_majestic opening. Every second day the bud is – eagerly photographed …..to see how much it has transformed.
Photographs taken from 1st Jan to..9th Jan'till 13th January 2011 (bud stage)
Comments