An exotic sun worshipper, these tropical plants love bright light and warm weather. The White Bird of Paradise has tall elegant stems that splay out into its smooth, flat leaves. While rare when grown indoors, the Strelitzia Nicolai produces a unique flower that resembles a bird, hence this plants' common name. This plant is commonly mistaken with the banana tree, although not related.
The exceptional long and broad leaves of this plant bend to face skyward, absorbing as much of the sun's rays as they can. The leaves naturally and intentionally split from their outer edge towards their central margin in order to let gusts of wind pass through.
The Bird of Paradise is native to South Africa, and is part of the Strelitziaceae family. They are often mistaken for Banana Plants, both of which come from the order Zingiberales.
House Plant Care
Light
Bird Of Paradise plants thrive in bright light, both direct and indirect, so don't be afraid to leave it in a sunny spot.
Avoid leaving them in lower light for too long as this will lead to stunted growth and smaller leaves.
Water
This plant prefers moist but not soggy soil. Allow soil to dry out slightly between waterings. Test the soil by touching it to feel if it's a little dry, this will indicate that it needs watering. During the summer months, it will need more frequent watering.
Tips
The leaves will naturally split on this plant, so don’t be alarmed - this is normal and means it's doing its job. This is an adaptation that allows air-flow to pass through the leaves. At times the tips may curl slightly and brown, this is also nothing to worry about, it gives the plant its wonderful textured character.
Toxicity
These plants are considered to be toxic if ingested so it is best to keep them out of reach of curious children and pets.
Size
Your Bird of Paradise currently lives in a 12cm diameter nursery pot.
They're 50cm in height from pot base to leaf tip and can reach up to 2m in height in the right conditions.
