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Location: Found coastal dune vegetation and evergreen forests near the coast.
Blooming time: They may bloom most times of the year depending where you live.
The flowers are about 500mm long. The main plant can grow as big as 10-12m high. It will throw out
many suckers over the years. The leaf is very large; they are shiny and grey-green in colour, which
can grow up to 2m in length. The sepals have blue petals and consist of five purplish blue sheaths.
It is recommended that a larger garden is needed. It really comes to life in a Sub-Tropical garden
or a Balinese-Thai setting, creating a lush tropical effect. The root system can be aggressive so
do not put it too close to fence lines and garden paths. It is also grown in pots for household and
office decoration, as the large leaves are spectacular indoors.
Culture: Strelitzia Nicolai are quite fast growers in pots or outside in the
open. They will take part shade - full sun. Don’t over water the plant as it has a structure which enables it to store water.The Nicolai is just about drought tolerant, does not
like severe frost, it will take temperatures down to 8c. It tolerates salty coastal winds and salt spray up to a point. Fertilise
regularly with a balanced slow release fertiliser for indoor pots. Outside fertilising requires a
good well balanced fertiliser.
Humidity: Will cope with lower humidity levels prefers medium humidity.
Propagation: Strelitzia Nicolai are propagated by suckers or by seed. Suckers
taken off the main plant grow vigorously, but can harm the main plant and the suckers will not
always grow. Seeds are very slow to germinate and may take up to 24 months, commercial growers take
a lot less time than this about 4-6 weeks. They are pollinated by birds (refer to Reginae for
explanation on seed propagation) they also have large black seeds with an orange aril. Olive
Sunbirds and Grey Sunbirds are attracted to the nectar which germinates the flowers.
Vervet and Samango monkeys feed on the soft part of the flowers as well as on the orange aril of the seeds.
See additional notes on the Nicolai in the Alba page for correct identification.
Plant availability: plenty of stock. |
Strelitzia Reginae
