Strelitzia nicolai

Strelitzia nicolai
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Zingiberales
Family:	Strelitziaceae
Genus:	Strelitzia
Species:	S. nicolai
Binomial name
	Strelitzia nicolai; Regel & Körn.
Synonyms
	Strelitzia alba subsp. nicolai (Regel & Körn) Maire & Weiller; Strelitzia quensonii Lem.;

Strelitzia nicolai, commonly known as the wild banana or giant white bird of paradise, is a species of banana-like plants with erect woody stems reaching a height of 7–8 m (23–26 ft), and the clumps formed can spread as far as 3.5 m (11 ft).

The 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)-long leaves are grey-green and arranged like a fan at the top of the stems, similar to Ravenala madagascariensis. The inflorescence is composed of a dark blue bract, white sepals and a bluish-purple "tongue". The entire flower can be as much as 18 cm (7.1 in) high by 45 cm (18 in) long, and is typically held just above the point where the leaf fan emerges from the stem. Flowers are followed by triangular seed capsules.^[2]^[3]

Strelitzia nicolai is among the few plants which have been verified to contain the pigment bilirubin, which is usually found in animals.^[4]

^ The Plant List Strelitzia nicolai
^ Gartenbau-Gesellschaft., Deutsche; Petersburg., Kaiserliche Russischer Gartenbau-Verein in St.; Petersburg., Russischer Gartenbau-Verein in St.; Staaten., Verein zur Beförderung des Gartenbaues in den Königlich Preussischen (1858). "Gartenflora". Jahrg.7 (1858). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ Gibbs Russell, G. E., W. G. M. Welman, E. Retief, K. L. Immelman, G. Germishuizen, B. J. Pienaar, M. Van Wyk & A. Nicholas. 1987. List of species of southern African plants. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa 2(1–2): 1–152(pt. 1), 1–270(pt. 2), Strelitzia nicolai
^ Pirone, Cary; Quirke, J. Martin E.; Priestap, Horacio A.; Lee, David W. (2009). "Animal Pigment Bilirubin Discovered in Plants". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 131 (8): 2830. doi:10.1021/ja809065g. PMC 2880647. PMID 19206232.

[1] The Plant List Strelitzia nicolai

[2] Gartenbau-Gesellschaft., Deutsche; Petersburg., Kaiserliche Russischer Gartenbau-Verein in St.; Petersburg., Russischer Gartenbau-Verein in St.; Staaten., Verein zur Beförderung des Gartenbaues in den Königlich Preussischen (1858). "Gartenflora". Jahrg.7 (1858). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[3] Gibbs Russell, G. E., W. G. M. Welman, E. Retief, K. L. Immelman, G. Germishuizen, B. J. Pienaar, M. Van Wyk & A. Nicholas. 1987. List of species of southern African plants. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa 2(1–2): 1–152(pt. 1), 1–270(pt. 2), Strelitzia nicolai

[pmid19206232-4] Pirone, Cary; Quirke, J. Martin E.; Priestap, Horacio A.; Lee, David W. (2009). "Animal Pigment Bilirubin Discovered in Plants". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 131 (8): 2830. doi:10.1021/ja809065g. PMC 2880647. PMID 19206232.

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