Strelitzia Nicolai 'Giant White Bird of Paradise'-Flowers-seeds

STRELITZIA NICOLAI    “Giant White Bird of Paradise” 

Family: Strelitziaceae  

Sprouting: 25-50 days @25C.

Position:  Move into 15cm pots when they have 2-3 leaves. Place in indirect light & keep soil moist.

The large, cream and blue flowers stand above the greenery at the tips of long stalks with a hard, beak-like sheath giving it the appearance of a crane's head and beak; and these long stalks make a great perch for the birds which come to pollinate the flowers.

Evergreen, perennial, flowering plant native to South America and grows to 5 m tall. Named after Tsar Nicholas of Russia.  Fully mature in 2-5 years.  Will grow in most areas of Australia and flowers in warmer months during Spring, Summer, and Autumn.

It is slow-growing and will not usually flower until three to five years after germination, and only when properly established. Division of the plant may affect flowering patterns. The flowers are, however, quite long-lasting once they appear. Most of the flowers appear in winter and early spring. 

A low-maintenance plant that is easy to grow in the garden.  Fairly tolerant of soil conditions, it will thrive in rich loamy soil, especially if it gets plenty of water throughout the year. Once established, it needs only a little water.  It will do well in full-sun to semi-shade and should respond well to regular feeding with a controlled release fertiliser and compost.  Drought and Frost tolerant.

Great for screening and landscaping due to it’s tree-like size.

Edible: The immature seeds are edible and tasty and used as a food.

Other Uses: Leaf stalks are dried and used to make a rope for building fish kraals and huts. Fox, F.W., Norwood Young, M.E. (1982). Food From The Veld. Edible Wild Plants of southern Africa. Delta Books, Craighall, South Africa.

Photo of flower: Dick Culbert from Gibsons, B.C., Canada, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons; retrieved 28May 2024 –3.13pm AEST and edited using Canva.

Photo of seeds: Tracy Robb, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons; retrieved 28May 2024 –3.136m AEST and edited using Canva.

The Chakra Garden cannot take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. 

Always seek advice from a professional before eating or using a plant medicinally.

****Please note: these are seeds (we are NOT selling these as live plants). Quarantine restrictions and costs prohibit us from selling these seeds to WA, Tas, and Internationally.