Houseplant · Strelitziaceae
Bird of Paradise
Strelitzia reginae
Hand it all the sun you can and a few patient years, and the crane flower opens one of the most striking blooms you can grow indoors.
Full sun
50–81°F · 10–27°C
USDA 10–12
3–5 ft · 0.9–1.5 m
Overview
The bird of paradise lives up to its name the instant it flowers: an orange-and-blue bloom lifts out of a stiff, beak-shaped bract that genuinely looks like a crane in flight. It is a clump-forming perennial out of South Africa, grown everywhere for those bold blooms and for the broad, banana-like paddle leaves that arch off its stalks. Most people raise it as a houseplant, but in a frost-free garden it settles in outdoors just as readily.
Light and time are the two things it demands. This plant wants as much sun as you can give it, and no amount of careful watering will coax a flower out of it in a dim corner. It also refuses to be rushed. A young specimen may spend several years bulking up before it flowers at all, so the bloom belongs to whoever is willing to wait.
Once it has rooted in, the routine is simple. Steady warmth, moist air, and a pot it can almost burst keep it in good form, while the two real pitfalls are a sodden mix and weak light. Manage those, and the plant looks after most of the rest itself.
Care
The short version: set it in the brightest spot you have, keep the soil moist yet never sodden through the growing season and drier in winter, hold up the humidity, and let it stay slightly pot-bound to draw out the flowers.
Light
Hand this plant as much direct sun as you can, ideally a south-facing window or the sunniest patch outside. Partial shade will not kill it, but light is the switch that flips it into flower, and a dim corner leaves you with handsome green blades and no blooms.
Water
All through the warm growing months, water freely and hold the mix moist while never letting it sit waterlogged. Indoors, let the top of the potting mix dry a touch between drinks, then cut right back come winter. A constantly soggy pot rots the roots faster than anything else will harm it.
Soil
Set it into a fertile, well-drained loamy mix loaded with organic matter. Drainage outranks everything else for this plant, because moisture that lingers around the roots is exactly what brings on root rot.
Temperature
It thrives between 50°F and 81°F (10°C to 27°C) and will not stand frost. Carry container plants inside before the cold sets in, and keep it from sitting below about 50°F (10°C) if you mean for it to carry on growing.
Humidity
Moist air suits this plant best, around 50% to 60%. In dry rooms, and especially over winter, mist the leaves or perch the pot on a tray of wet gravel so the leaf edges do not crisp and brown.
Feeding
Feed it through spring and summer only, using a water-soluble houseplant fertilizer, every two weeks in spring and as often as weekly in summer. Hold off entirely in fall and winter, and never pile it on, since a heavy hand drives leaf growth and starves the flowers.
Pruning
There is very little to prune. Take off spent flower stalks along with any dead or badly shredded leaves, then wipe the blades clean using a soft cloth. Steer clear of leaf-shine products, which only gum up the surface.
Repotting
Move it up only when you have no choice, because this plant flowers better when pot-bound and a roomy pot simply pushes the blooms back. Top off the upper few centimeters of soil each year, and step up the pot size only in early spring once the roots have filled or split the container.
Size & spacing
Grown indoors it climbs to roughly 3 to 5 feet (90 to 150 cm) tall and fans out about 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 cm) wide, so leave a settled clump enough space for its broad leaves to spread and arch.
Troubleshooting
Nearly every bird of paradise problem comes back to light, water, or cold. The leaves are the first to show it, so match the symptom below and step in before a minor slip turns into a setback.
Yellowed, drooping blades over sodden mix
A plant that flops over while its soil stays permanently damp is showing the signs of root rot, brought on by a waterlogged mix or simply too many waterings. Tip it out of the pot and inspect the roots: snip off anything brown and mushy, then settle it into fresh, fast-draining mix. After that, wait until the surface of the mix has dried before watering again, and keep it leaning dry right through the cool months.
Fix:
- Remove from pot and cut away rotted roots
- Repot into fresh, fast-draining mix
- Water only after the mix has dried slightly and ensure good drainage
Black, water-soaked leaves sagging after frost
Cold is the one thing this plant cannot take, with no tolerance for frost at all. Leaves caught near freezing go black, water-soaked, and limp, sagging off the stalk. Carry containers inside ahead of the first frost, and once the freeze has passed, cut the spoiled leaves away. For it to keep putting on growth, hold the temperature above roughly 50°F (10°C).
Fix:
- Bring container plants indoors before first frost
- Remove damaged foliage once danger of frost has passed
No flowers, year after year
The leaves can look perfect and still no flower stalk pushes up, and the reason is nearly always too little light. A mature plant wants something close to full sun before it will throw those beaked, crane-shaped blooms. Age plays in too: a seedling or fresh division simply needs years of growing before it is big enough to flower. Leave the roots slightly pot-bound instead of moving up a size, and back off the feed if you are seeing fat green leaves and nothing more.
Fix:
- Move to the brightest possible spot with several hours of direct sun
- Allow the plant to mature and become pot-bound rather than repotting
- Replace only the top layer of soil yearly instead of up-potting
- Reduce fertilizer if foliage is lush but flowers are absent
Silky webs, cottony white specks, or brown discs
Kept indoors, this plant attracts the familiar sap-feeders, and each leaves a different mark. Thin webbing with a stippled, speckled surface means spider mites; soft cottony tufts tucked into the leaf joints are mealybugs; and hard little brown discs stuck to stems and leaves are scale. Sponge the foliage clean, follow up with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, and stand the plant well away from its neighbors until every pest is gone.
Fix:
- Wipe leaves with a soft cloth
- Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil
- Isolate affected plants and repeat treatment as needed
Brown, crispy edges along the leaves
When the broad green blades go brittle and brown right at their rims, dry indoor air is usually behind it, and it shows up worst in winter with the heating on. Letting the mix bake fully dry between waterings only deepens the damage. Push the humidity toward 60% by misting or setting the pot over a tray of wet gravel, keep the watering on a regular beat, and stay on the feeding schedule through the growing season.
Fix:
- Raise humidity by misting or standing the pot on a tray of damp gravel
- Water consistently so the mix does not dry out completely
- Feed regularly during the growing season
Big leaves tearing along the veins
Nothing is wrong here. Those wide, banana-like paddles split cleanly down their veins by design, opening slits that let a gust slip through rather than slamming into the blade like a sail. The plant is perfectly healthy. If you would rather the leaves stayed whole and uncut, shift an outdoor plant to a calmer, more sheltered corner.
Fix:
- No treatment needed - splitting is a natural response
- Move outdoor plants to a more sheltered spot if intact foliage is desired
Toxicity
This plant counts as mildly toxic, with the irritating compounds packed into its fruit and seeds. A nosy pet that chews on it will more likely come away with a sour stomach than anything dangerous, yet it pays to keep the flowering stalks and any dropped seeds out of reach. And do not mistake it for the far more poisonous shrub that goes by the same common name.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Mild
A cat that takes a bite of the fruit or seeds tends to drool, vomit, and go listless. The episode usually clears up by itself, but ring the vet if it keeps going.
Dogs Mild
A dog typically shows mild queasiness, a bit of vomiting, and low energy. Since the irritants live in the fruit and seeds, gnawed leaves matter far less.
Horses Mild
Should a horse get at the fruit or seeds, it can turn nauseous and dull. Keep the flowering stalks beyond reach in any spot where horses graze.
Rabbits Caution
Those gut irritants that trouble cats and dogs are no friendlier to a rabbit. Stop one from nibbling the plant, and sweep away any dropped seeds.
Livestock Caution
The fruit and seeds can unsettle the stomachs of goats, sheep, and cattle. A passing nibble seldom turns serious, yet the plant is no proper feed.
Birds Caution
Keep pet birds from pecking at the seeds or fruit. Count the whole plant as off-limits and put out safe greens for them instead.
People Caution
Nothing on this plant is meant for eating, and its fruit and seeds can churn the stomach. Make sure young children do not pop the seeds into their mouths.
Toxic principles are concentrated mainly in the fruit and seeds
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
The plain orange species is what fills most pots, but there is one named selection worth having on your radar.
'Mandela's Gold'
A striking break from the norm: this one swaps the typical orange for yellow and purple flowers that emerge from a grey-and-pink spathe.
How to propagate
Two methods will give you more plants, and they sit at opposite ends of the clock: one is fast, the other asks for real patience.
DivisionModerate
Early spring, when the clump is root-bound · Divisions can flower within a year or two
Pulling the rhizome clump apart is the fast lane to flowers. Wait for early spring, once the roots have packed the pot, then slice the clump into chunks that each hold a fan of leaves over its own share of root. A solid division can flower within a year or two, well ahead of anything grown from seed.
SeedDemanding
Fresh seed, germinated warm (75-90°F) · Germinates in 6-12 weeks; 4-10 years from seed to first flower
Sowing seed is the patient gardener's route. Start with fresh seed and hold it warm, around 75°F to 90°F (24°C to 32°C), and even so the sprouts take 6 to 12 weeks to appear. After that the wait stretches to 4 to 10 years before a first flower opens, which is exactly why most growers reach for division.
Myths
This crane flower is identical to the shrub also named bird of paradise, danger and all.
All they have in common is the name. This crane flower is Strelitzia reginae, which the ASPCA rates as no more than mildly toxic, good for a touch of stomach upset. The shrub sold under bird of paradise is a different plant entirely, Caesalpinia gilliesii, and it carries far stronger poison. The ASPCA states plainly that the two should not be confused.
Leaves that tear and fray reveal a diseased plant.
That tearing is completely normal. The wide paddle leaves split along their veins on purpose, opening gaps for wind to pass through, and it shows up most outdoors or in a draughty room. Not a bit of harm comes to the plant, and the only way to keep the blades intact is to shelter it from wind.
Sources
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC
- Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)
- UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control
- Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew