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Strelitzia alba
Also called Cape Wild Banana, Cape Mock Banana, Cape Strelitzia, White Bird Of Paradise, Wild Mealie, White Bird Of Paradise Flower
Strelitzia alba also known as white-flowered wild banana, white bird of paradise, or Cape wild banana is a plant of the Bird of Paradise family and is endemic to the Garden Route along the southernmost coastal regions of the district of Humansdorp Eastern and district of Knysna in Western Cape in South Africa. It grows in evergreen forest, gorges, and on slopes along the rivers.
Strelitzia alba is referred to in the Red List of South African plants as not endangered (Least Concern). Phakamani Xaba of Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens visited the wild populations several times and came to a different view of the threat status. It has been observed that collectors have removed many of the side shoots required for vegetative propagation, in the populations there are no young plants or seedlings and the seeds are always harvested before they reach the soil.
Transvaal wild banana · African Desert Banana · Bird-of-paradise -tree · Bird-of-paradise · Bird-of-paradise
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Strelitzia alba by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
