Strelitzia nicolai

Tree - Strelitzia (Strelitzia nicolai )

The Tree - Strelitzia (Strelitzia nicolai ) is a plant of the genus Strelitzia (Strelitzia ) in the family of Strelitziaceae ( Strelitziaceae ). This native of southern Africa species used in tropical parks and gardens as an ornamental plant.

• 5.1 Notes and references

Description

Appearance and leaves

Strelitzia nicolai grows as a tree-like evergreen, perennial, herbaceous plant that reaches the stature heights of up to 12 meters. It forms, with its branched rhizomes dense, horst -like stands. The somewhat woody stem is light to dark gray and has markings by the leaf scars. The two lines in the distributed strain on old plants a kind of subjects forming only at the top of leaves are clearly divided into long petiole and leaf blade. Your simple, smooth-edged, glossy gray - green leaf blades have a length of up to 2 meters and a width of up to 60 centimeters. Leaf blades tear in the wind. Overall, they act as vegetative banana plants.

Inflorescences and flowers

Strelitzia nicolai flowers throughout the year, with a main peak in the spring and summer. It is a continuous axillary, erect inflorescence stem present, together having a length of about 0.5 meters with the actual inflorescence. A striking, large, dark bract ( the so-called spathe ) is horizontal or has something up. There are several partial inflorescences above the other ( unlike Strelitzia Strelitzia alba and caudata with simple inflorescences ).

The hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic and threefold. The three bracts are very different in the two circuits in shape and color. Of the three white bloom cladding of the outer circle (often Sepals = sepals called ) is the median smaller than the lateral ones. Of the three most inner blue ( rarely white, in Strelitzia alba they are always white) bloom cladding (often called petals petals = ) covers the upper entrance to the " nectar chamber "; the two large side have grown like an arrow and envelope the stylus and the five fertile stamens. The abundantly produced nectar attracts sunbirds ( Nectariniidae ), for example Hedydipna collaris and Cyanomitra olivacea. Pollination is by birds.

Fruit and seeds

Are formed woody, dreifächerige capsule fruits. The black seeds have an orange, wooly, oily aril. The seeds ripen principally from March to July. The fruits / seeds are eaten by birds, which is demonstrated for Phoeniculus purpureus, Cossypha natalensis, Cercotrichas signata, Acridotheres tristis. Some species of monkeys are flowers and the aril as a food.

Occurrence

Strelitzia nicolai comes in South Africa from south East London in the Eastern Cape to KwaZulu -Natal continues to Mozambique and Zimbabwe before. It grows mainly in the dune vegetation and in coastal evergreen forests on the South African east coast. Frequently it is for example in the coastal vegetation north of East London.

System

Strelitzia nicolai was first described in 1858 by Eduard August von Regel and Friedrich August Koernicke in Garden Flora, 7, p 265, Table 235. The specific epithet honors nicolai Tsar Nicholas I.. A copy of this kind flourished in 1858 in the stately gardens in St. Petersburg and it was recognized that it is a new species.

At Moore & Hyypio 1970, the nomenclature within the genus Strelitzia was discussed. A synonym for Strelitzia nicolai Regel & Körn. is: Strelitzia quensoni Lem ..

Use

The Tree - Strelitzia is used in tropical parks and gardens as an ornamental plant. The tree is fairly drought tolerant Bird of Paradise and the salty coastal winds make this kind of little, but she bears no strong frost.

From the dried petioles ropes are generated to it to build fish traps and huts. The immature seeds are edible and taste. You can win from the seeds flour. The aril can deep fry and then grill it, but this is not particularly taste.

Swell

• John Winter: Strelitzia nicolai plantzafrica.com at the Botanical Garden of Kirstenbosh. (Section Description, distribution and use )
• Hamish Robertson: Strelitzia nicolai at biodiversityexplorer - Iziko - Museums of Cape Town. (Section Description, distribution and use )
• Harold E. Moore, Jr. & Peter A. Hyypio: Some comments on Strelitzia ( Strelitziaceae ) in Baileya, 17, 1970, pp. 65-75.
• Braam Van Wyk & Piet Van Wyk Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa ( Field Guides ), Struik Publishers, 1997. ISBN 978-1868259229 (Strelitzia nicolai on page 56)
• Cheers Gordon (ed.): Botanica, Random House Australia, 2003 German edition. Tandem Verlag GmbH, 2003, ISBN 3-8331-1600-5. (Strelitzia nicolai on page 862 )