Bird Of Paradise Strelitzia Reginae vs. Nicolai

There are five species of Strelitzia, and only two of them are grown as indoor plants: Strelitzia reginae or the orange bird of paradise and Strelitzia Nicolai in other words, the white bird of paradise.

Strelisia is not a banana tree. This exotic plant gets its popular name because its leaves are very similar to those of a banana tree, not because it has yellow fruits.

In the wild, these plants grow in the hot coastal regions of Africa and Mexico. It also loves to bask in the bright sun, so when growing it at home, keepthe plant in a place where there is a lot of natural light and where it is not too cold. This plant is growing rapidly, so it may need replanting approximately every three years. Also, do not forget about fertilizers, it will be useful to feed with liquid fertilizers once a month in spring and summer.

Bird of Paradise Nicolai

Strelitzia Nicolai, or another name for the giant white bird of paradise, is a type of banana plant with upright woody stems. They are capable of reaching a height of 20 feet. And we can safely say that this is a very impressive size! Bird of Paradise is one of the larger Strelitzia species.

They have large, long leaves 5 feet long and are shinier and greener than their relative Strelitzia Reginae. The leaves are fanned out on top of the stems, like in Ravenala madagascariensis. The flower consists of dark blue bracts, white sepals, and a bluish-purple tongue. The entire flower can reach 7.1 inches in height and 18 inches in length. This variety is difficult to make bloom, but if you still succeed, then you can usually enjoy the bloom of the White Bird of Paradise in late winter or early spring, but under optimal conditions, it blooms at other times. It also takes three to five years for these flowers to bloom.

Strelitzia is a toxic herb and can harm you, your children, or animals if you have one. But it takes eating quite a bit of it to have an effect.

Strelitzia Reginae 

Strelitzia Reginae is the same evergreen tropical flower as Strelitzia Nicolai because they are almost the same except for the size and the color of the flower. Like Nicolai, Reginae is a large plant up to 6.6 feet tall with equally large, sturdy leaves. But still, the size is smaller than that of Nicolai, for this reason, it is better to grow this particular species in your home since it is easier to choose a comfortable place for the growth of this flower.

So the flower. The flower, or rather its color, is the difference by which we can distinguish Reginae from Nicolai, well, except for the size. In Reginae, the flowers, which emerge one at a time from the cover, consist of three bright orange sepals and three purple-blue or white petals. Two blue or white petals are joined together to form an arrow.

These plants have a rather interesting structure and pollination of flowers. When birds sit down to drink nectar, the petals open up, covering their paws with pollen, and thus the birds transfer pollen from flower to flower pollinating the plant.

To all that has been said, it must be added that caring for a Bird of Paradise is not difficult, as many may mistakenly think. It is enough to adhere to the general rules for growing indoor plants.

As for the differences

Well, the bird of paradise is a very beautiful exotic flower and both Reginae and Nicolai are very similar. But to be honest, there are also very noticeable differences between them. So let's get to know them differently.