Strelitzia parvifolia. Anyone else growing one?

[Mangosteen]

 They are very similar to Strelitzia reginae except that the leaves are very narrow and cup shaped at the top. Mine is very slow growing and has never flowered.

[Marius]

Hi. I have a couple. They appear to want the same conditions as S reginae. Mine are also somewhat slower than S reginae. I’d say that their growth speed is similar to S juncea. 

[Marius]

Here is one of them 

[Xerarch]

Are the flowers like reginae?

[Mangosteen]

At a glance, yes. Under a microscope, botanists might find a difference.

[Mangosteen]

9 hours ago, Marius said:

Here is one of them 

Seeing how you are rather close to the source, do you happen to also grow S. alba and S. caudata?

[Marius]

On 2/21/2021 at 5:03 PM, Mangosteen said:

Seeing how you are rather close to the source, do you happen to also grow S. alba and S. caudata?

Alba and caudata are impossible to get here. They are rare and grow in protected and inaccessible areas. 

[Hillizard]

For more about the origin of the name, here's an excerpt from: http://pza.sanbi.org/strelitzia-juncea

"Strelitzia reginae was introduced in England in 1733 and was named after Queen Sophia Charlotte, the wife of George III of England. She was a princess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, hence the genus name Strelitzia. The specific name juncea is derived from the Latin juncus meaning rush a reference to its rush-like appearance. In the past S. juncea was regarded as a variety of S. parvifolia or as a variety of S. reginae until evidence was produced in 1974 by Dr Van de Venter (Dyer 1975) to confirm the specific status of S. juncea. Intermediate forms exist between S. reginae and S. juncea. After extensive studies Dr Van de Venter came to the conclusion that there are genetic differences between these two species and the intermediate forms could be hybrids between the two species."

I took these pictures today of the biggest clump in my backyard, which is just now coming into bloom. It has small spoon-like blades at the tip of its leaf stalks, so it could be an intermediate form.

[Tracy]

1 hour ago, Hillizard said:

S. juncea. Intermediate forms exist between S. reginae and S. juncea.

One doesn't see these very often.  George Sparkman had some true Strelitzia juncea that I considered planting between my Cycas thouarsii along a wall abutting a street back in 2013.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any.  I had a bunch of tall Aechmea bromeliads that I planted instead since they were armed and I was having an issue with tagging at the time.  I don't know that i have seen true S juncea since then.

[Gonzer]

I've had this clump for 20 years, blooms like clockwork, nestled in with a clump of Sansevieria singularis.

 

Edited February 25, 2021 by Gonzer

[Blackislebennet]

I have alba, caudata, "parvifolia" and the other species in my yard here in Orange County, CA.  Some are more prolific at seeding than others. Anyone is welcome to come over and look for seeds.

[Blackislebennet]

I have a large clump of "parvifolia" in the ground. Southern California Edison recently pruned (= butchered) off most of its spoon-shaped leaves but it will make a comeback. In fact, it has at least one inflorescence coming. I tried separating one of the smaller offsets but gave up after 30 minutes. Unless you are growing Strelitzia in containers, dividing the clump is almost impossible.