Strelitzia differences

21 years ago

Perhaps a stupid question....but I'm going to ask anyway.

An ID question on the HP forum got me to thinking about this.

Is there a way to tell, or to at least guess, whether a Strelitzia is a 'white' or an 'orange' (bloom color) by observing just the *leaves* and or their growth pattern, veining, etc...?

Featured Answer

garyfla_gw

21 years ago

Hi
NanW,if you have nicolai(wbop) You'll note it developing trunks long before it flowers.Every aspect of the plant is bigger and as a rule much paler green than the orange. It never forms a trunk. Mine was flattened by last years hurricane and is now about 8 feet but has not reflowered as yet. The flowers come from the stem axls while on reginae they are on separate stems.
Apparently the Mandela's gold is a cultivar and not a separate specie??
Don't know if I have the patience for seeds lol. They take years even from small plants.
As you would suspect they are quite common here in S,Florida and during my walks around the neighborhood I've noted striking differences in growth habit particularly with the reginae. One group has a running habit rather than clumping and the flower stems are almost twice as tall as the leaves.,Never seems to get more than 5 feet tall while the one I have is well over 8 feet. I transplanted some of the runner to my yard and it's following the same growth habit. I thought it might be a cultural difference.
The leaves and flowers are identical to mine. The only difference that is apparent is the growth habit and location of the flowers. Would be impossible to tell the difference on small plants in a nursery.
I would suspect you have the orange as the white wouldn't be a very good houseplant WAAAAy to big lol
gary

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Comments (8)

Heathen1
21 years ago
I THINK that white strelitzia, which mine was called "giant" has wider more rounded leaves than the orange blossomed one... that's my opinion, but I only own a white one.
tiareman
21 years ago
white is a big plant- big thick leaves, while the orange is daintier
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garyfla_gw
21 years ago
Hi
i would agree with the above . Of course if the plants are just seedlings it's realli tough.The travelers palm
is bigger in every respect right from the first sprout.
A really tough question is which variety of regina you have when just a sprout.This is the smaller orange variety
but there is also a yellow type.
I have 3 kinds which range from under two feet to over 8 at maturity.Flowers are all the same size but there seems to be a difference as to where the flowers are. Mine tend to hold the flowers within the foliage while my neighbors
the flowers are held above the foliage .Much prettier IMO.
I've been unable to tell the difference between them
in nursury specimens. I raided my neighbors clumps lol.
Don;t know if these are actually different specie,cultivar or just culture differences.
I've never been able to locate the yellow variety.
Did I confuse you evn more?? lol
gary
nanw_4wi
Original Author
21 years ago
lol, Gary! Interesting info. Did you see the thread (link below) where someone is searching for the yellow and another person indicates a source?

So, unless in bloom, you'd almost have to have the plants side by side to note the differences, wouldn't you think?

I have a large potted Strelitzia that is *supposed* to be the orange flowered variety.....it has not yet bloomed.
It was a gift at my father's funeral in 2000, and all along I've wondered if it my be S. nicolai, since it is so large.
Guess my ID will have to wait *until* it blooms!

Thanks all for your replies.

Here is a link that might be useful: Re: Yellow B.O.P.
shiollie
21 years ago
Hello, I was the one that started the linked post, I can email the place where I got the Mandela's gold seeds. They are comming along nicely. I also have the white and orange, but the orange is still a baby while the white is a whole lot larger.
LisaCLV
21 years ago
Strelitzia nicolai has a completely different habit than S. reginae, becoming tall and tree-like when it is mature. It may be a bit more difficult to tell when they're young, but even then the leaves are bigger and broader, and have a tendancy to split like banana leaves, something you don't see in S. reginae.

Here is a link that might be useful:
nanw_4wi
Original Author
21 years ago
Gary...the source linked above does have 1 gallon plants of Strelitzia 'Elliott's Yellow', if you're interested.

That's the problem....my plant *is* BIG!

Probably won't be able to ID until it blooms....(if!)

It's been growing indoors for the past 4 years....only got the courage to take it outdoors this spring.

Also..it does have a few splits in a few of the leaves, as Lisa indicated above.

I'll try to get a photo tonight and have my 6 year old stand near it.

Thanks for the great information, everyone!