Focus on Flora: Spotting the white bird of paradise

One of my favourite parts about Camana Bay happens to coincide with one of my favourite parts of plants — watching them both grow.

It amazes me that as the Town Centre expands, so does the plant palette — you won’t ever turn a corner and see the same planting twice. Walking the space around 60 Nexus Way, you’ll see some plants that are dotted throughout the landscape in Camana Bay, but also some which haven’t been used before. The white bird of paradise, or Streliztia nicolai, stands boldly at the north entrance to 60 Nexus Way among other Focus on Flora celebrities such as Alocasia macrorrhizos cv. Variegata.

Native to South Africa, the white bird of paradise is one of a small genus of five Strelitzia and a member of the larger family with the same name — Strelitziaceae.

At first glance, it would be easy to mistake the white bird of paradise for a young travellers palm, or Ravenala madagascariensis. This possible case of mistaken identity can easily be ruled out by two main differences — their growth habit (slow versus fast, respectively), and their size (manageable versus massive).

In their native habitat, they are mostly found in evergreen coastal forests and are quite adaptable to a variety of subtropical climes. They thrive in a variety of soils, and the single most important factor to consider is that the medium is well draining.

Having moderate salt tolerance and high wind tolerance, they are a perfect fit for their location: slightly sheltered from salt spray and able to handle considerable wind by an interesting evolutionary characteristic.

Most often, when people observe plants with ripped or torn leaves in the landscape, they assume this is a sign of poor health when it is absolutely the opposite.

The same way that a coconut tree can bend with the wind, Strelitzia nicolai’s torn leaves do not cause it any harm and allow sunlight to penetrate through the canopy of the plant to the lower leaves.

Generally able to handle full sun, they do appreciate a touch of shade, and this evolutionary characteristic promotes the best use of hours of sunlight — where at times in forests can be limited.

They can be found across the globe and are mostly used as an exotic ornamental — some would say even a conversation piece.

Their flowers, almost ethereal, are where its name comes from. White, blue and spiky, they emerge from an interesting beak-like spathe that almost resembles a bird’s beak.

Some claim that the bird of paradise flower mimics a white-tailed tropical bird in flight; however, the most widely accepted reference is to that of the avian bird of paradise, which is terrifically sublime itself.

The very literal song and dance of the avian bird of paradise (almost exclusively native to New Guinea) is simply like nothing else in the world.

The beauty in all of this is that there is no right or wrong answer — nature is subjective, and thus, a conversation piece.

It takes a few solid years of growth before flowering, but you won’t be disenchanted by the white bird of paradise. With very few pests, it is easy to propagate from division of rooted suckers and an excellent air purifier. Their luscious and shiny paddle-shaped leaves will complement any tropical palette or stand alone as a bold focal.

This article was first published in the April/May 2025 print edition of Camana Bay Times.