Fairchild Botanic Garden

Common name: white bird of paradise (English)

Family: Strelitziaceae (Bird-of-Paradise Flower)

Distribution: S. Mozambique to KwaZulu-Natal, E. Botswana

Life form: Herbaceous perennial

Description: The white bird of paradise is a great tropical garden plant, with tall stems and flat, fan-shaped clusters of leaves. Native to southern and eastern Africa, it grows well in the warmest parts of the United States. Its slender stems and split leaves give it a palm-like appearance, but the white bird of paradise is more closely related to banana plants. Its blue and white beaked blooms are reminiscent of tropical birds with fancy plumage.