Giant bird of paradise, Strelitzia nicolai, is an ornamental evergreen, tall, palm like plant with large, broad leaves up 1.5 m long. During spring and early summer, it bears unusual beak-like, blue and white flowers with deep purple bracts. The entire flower can be as much as 18 cm high by 45 cm long, and is typically held just above the point where the leaf fan emerges from the stem. Flowers are followed by triangular seed capsules with black seeds with a bright orange aril attached.
Giant bird of paradise is native to South Africa and Mozambique.
Giant bird of paradise is sparingly naturalised in Queensland and New South Wales, also in Mexico. It has occasionally spread locally into our bushland. In favourable areas, they self-seed readily.
To ensure this plant remains in your garden, please remove spent flowers before seeds develop.
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Cabbage Tree Palm, Livistona australis. This native palm has fan- shaped leaves and generally a smooth trunk, although old leaf bases are retained on young plants. Leaf ‘stalks’ have recurved spines mostly towards the base.