Giant Bird of Paradise, White Bird of Paradise, Wild Banana, Natal Wild Banana

This massive thirty-foot high and wide perennial is native to the evergreen coastal forests and thickets of eastern South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. For many years, African traditional medicine has studied S. nicolai to examine the plant’s cancer-preventive and therapeutic properties. Extract from the plant’s arils was tested in the environment of cervical cancer, and proved the plant’s ability to inhibit cell proliferation in human cervical-cancer cell lines.

The extraordinary foliage of this imposing evergreen adds visual drama to Mediterranean and subtropical gardens around the world. The plant’s enormous banana-like leaves can extend to ten feet long, and when torn in the wind, bear semblance to giant feathers. Blooming throughout the year, the perennial’s spectacular twenty-inch long blossoms resemble the head of a bird, with a white crest and purple beak. Lush tropical foliage and exotic flowers made S. nicolai a popular ornamental cultivar in Woodland Hills Mediterranean-style gardens.

Height: 20 to 30 feet
Width: 20 to 30 feet
Leaves: evergreen

Soil: clay, loam, sand, moist but well-drained
pH: acid, alkaline, neutral
Exposure: full to partial sun

Water: average
Tolerance: drought tolerant
Toxicity: toxic to dogs, cats, and horses

Note: aggressive roots; keep far from structures and paths

African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines: AJTCAM. (2017, March 1). In vitro chemo-preventative activity of Strelitzia nicolai aril extract containing bilirubin. National Library of Medicine. PMID: 28480426. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5412220/

Gardenia. (n.d.). Strelitzia Nicolai (Giant Bird of Paradise). https://www.gardenia.net/plant/strelitzia-nicolai