Strelitzia alba Skeels

White-flowered wild banana (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Zingiberales > Strelitziaceae > Strelitzia

Characteristics

Perennial shrub, up to 6 m high; stem simple, with tuft of leaves at apex. Leaves distichous, petiolate, oblong, up to 2000 x 450-600 mm. Peduncle ± 150 mm long, compressed. Bracts claret, completely surrounding peduncle, withering at apex. Spathe deflexed, glaucous, 250-300 mm long; apices tapering; many-flowered. Sepals 3, white; lowest linear-lanceolate, ± keeled below, concave or navicular above; laterals shorter, channelled above, strongly keeled below. Petals white; upper lanceolate, cuspidate; apices withering; lower longer, navicular, with margins inflexed and only overlapping at base. Stamens with straight filaments. Ovary triangular; style ± 100 mm long; stigma viscid, tapering; anthers cuspidate. Flowering time June-Nov. Seeds with tuft of yellow, later turning red hairs.
More
Large, single-stemmed tree to 10 m. Leaves with large, oblong blades. Flowers white, petals hastate at base.
A tree. It grows 10 m tall. The leaves are large and oblong. The flowers are white.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention -
Sexuality -
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 4.0
Mature height (meter) 10.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

It is a subtropical plant.
Light 4-6
Soil humidity 2-7
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) -

Usage

The seeds are used as a vegetable.
Uses environmental use food material
Edible seeds
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) 30 - 180
Germination temperacture (C°) 21 - 23
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment soaking
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Strelitzia alba unspecified picture

Distribution

Strelitzia alba world distribution map, present in South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:585015-1
WFO ID wfo-0000561814
COL ID 52X7R
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 448348
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Strelitzia augusta Heliconia alba Strelitzia alba Heliconia augusta Strelitzia angusta Strelitzia alba subsp. augusta