Houseplant · Strelitziaceae
Bird of Paradise
Strelitzia reginae
Offer it all the sun you can spare and a few patient seasons, and the crane flower will thank you with one of the showiest 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 moment it blooms, when an orange-and-blue flower opens from a beak-shaped bract that genuinely looks like a crane taking wing. This is a clump-forming perennial native to South Africa, loved everywhere for its dramatic flowers and its broad, banana-like leaves. Most growers keep it as a houseplant, and in a frost-free garden it settles in outdoors just as contentedly.
All it really asks of you is light and a little time. It longs for as much sun as you can offer, and no amount of careful watering will coax flowers from a shadowy corner. Patience is part of the deal too. A young plant may spend several years gathering its strength before it blooms, so the prize goes to the grower who is willing to wait.
Once it feels at home, the day-to-day care is gentle and forgiving. Give it steady warmth, humid air, and a pot it can nearly fill, and it grows happily, with the only real pitfalls being a soggy mix and too little light. Manage those two and you will find the rest falls into place on its own.
Care
The short version: set it in the brightest spot you have, keep the soil moist but never sodden during the growing season and drier through winter, hold the air humid, and let it stay a touch pot-bound to draw out those flowers.
Light
Treat it to as much direct sun as you possibly can, such as a south-facing window or the sunniest spot in the garden. It will get by in partial shade, but light is the thing that sparks flowering, so a dim corner leaves you with handsome leaves and no blooms to enjoy.
Water
All through the warm growing season, water generously and let the mix stay moist without ever sitting in water. Indoors, allow the top of the potting mix to dry a touch between drinks, then pull right back in winter. A waterlogged pot that rots the roots is the surest way to lose it, so when in doubt, lean dry.
Soil
Pot it up in a fertile, well-drained loamy mix rich in organic matter. Good drainage counts for more than anything else here, because moisture that lingers is exactly what brings on root rot.
Temperature
It feels most at ease between 50°F and 81°F (10°C to 27°C) and simply cannot handle frost. Bring container plants in before the cold sets in, and avoid letting it dip below roughly 50°F (10°C) if you would like it to keep growing.
Humidity
This plant enjoys moist air, somewhere around 50% to 60%. When indoor rooms turn dry, especially over winter, give it a misting or stand the pot on a tray of damp gravel, and the leaf edges will stay green and tidy.
Feeding
Feed it only across spring and summer using a water-soluble houseplant fertilizer, every two weeks in spring and as often as weekly in summer. Pause through fall and winter, and go easy in general, since too much food coaxes out leaves rather than flowers.
Pruning
There is very little to do, as pruning stays minimal. Snip off finished flower stalks and any leaves that have died back or shredded badly, then wipe the foliage gently with a soft cloth. Steer clear of leaf-shine products, which can gum up the leaves.
Repotting
Hold off on repotting unless you truly must, because this plant blooms better when pot-bound, and an oversized pot only postpones the flowers. Top up the upper few centimeters of soil each year, and move it into a bigger pot only in early spring once the roots have filled or cracked the old one.
Size & spacing
Grown indoors it rises 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 plenty of room for its big leaves to arch open.
Troubleshooting
Nearly every bird of paradise hiccup comes back to light, water, or cold, and almost all of it is recoverable. The leaves tend to speak up first, so find your symptom below and step in early, while a little wobble is still just a little wobble.
Drooping and going yellow while the soil stays damp
If your plant sags while the soil stays damp, the likely answer is root rot brought on by a soggy mix or one too many waterings. The good news is you can often save it. Ease it out of the pot, trim off any brown, mushy roots, and settle it into fresh, fast-draining mix. After that, only water once the top of the mix feels dry, and let it run on the dry side through the cooler 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
Leaves gone black and limp after a frost
Frost is the one thing this plant truly cannot take, so leaves caught near freezing go black, water-soaked, and limp. If it happens, you can still recover the plant. Move containers indoors ahead of the first frost, then snip away the spoiled leaves once the cold passes. To keep it growing along happily, try not to let the temperature settle below about 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
Take heart, because this is the easiest fix to get wrong without knowing it. Nine times out of ten the answer is too little light, since a grown plant wants something close to full sun to push out those crane-shaped flowers. The next reason is simply time, as a seedling or a fresh division needs years to reach blooming size. Hold off on moving it to a bigger pot, since it flowers happily when kept slightly pot-bound, and dial back the food if you have plenty of leaves but no buds.
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
Fine webs, white fluff, or little brown bumps
Like most houseplants, this one can attract a few sap-feeding visitors, and catching them early makes them simple to clear. Faint webbing with speckled leaves usually means spider mites, soft cottony white tufts point to mealybugs, and little brown bumps clinging to stems and leaves are scale. Gently wipe the foliage clean, follow up with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, and set the plant on its own away from the others while you work through it.
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
Don't worry, this one is common and easy to turn around. The usual cause is dry indoor air, which gets meanest in winter once the heating kicks in, and uneven watering that lets the mix bake bone-dry only adds to it. Lift the humidity toward 60% by misting or setting the pot on a tray of damp gravel, keep your watering on a gentle routine, and stay with the feeding 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
You can relax completely here, because nothing is wrong. Those wide paddle leaves tear along their veins by design, opening little gaps that let wind slip through rather than catching it like a sail. Your plant is perfectly healthy. Should you prefer the leaves to stay whole, just move 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 is mildly toxic, with the irritating compounds gathered in the fruit and seeds. A curious pet that takes a bite is far more likely to end up with a queasy tummy than anything alarming, yet it is still kind to keep the flowering stalks and any dropped seeds out of reach. Take care not to mix it up with the much more poisonous shrub that happens to share the same common name.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Mild
Should a cat sample the fruit or seeds, you might see drooling, vomiting, and a sleepy spell. It tends to clear up by itself, though a vet call is wise if the symptoms linger.
Dogs Mild
Likely you will notice mild nausea, a little vomiting, and a tired, low-energy dog. Since the fruit and seeds hold the irritants, nibbled leaves are much less of a concern.
Horses Mild
A horse that gets at the fruit or seeds may turn queasy and dull for a while. Keep the flowering stalks well out of reach in any spot where horses graze.
Rabbits Caution
The very gut irritants that trouble cats and dogs are no kinder to a rabbit. Keep one from nibbling the plant, and sweep up any dropped seeds promptly.
Livestock Caution
Goats, sheep, and cattle may get an upset stomach from the fruit and seeds. A passing taste is seldom serious, yet the plant makes poor forage all the same.
Birds Caution
Keep pet birds from pecking at the seeds or fruit. Treat the entire plant as off-limits and set out safe greens for them to enjoy instead.
People Caution
None of this plant is meant for eating, and the fruit and seeds can leave the stomach unsettled. Make sure small children keep the seeds out of 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
Most people grow the plain orange species, and that is a fine choice, but one named selection is well worth a look.
'Mandela's Gold'
A lovely departure from the everyday orange, offering yellow and purple flowers that emerge from a grey-and-pink spathe.
How to propagate
You have two ways to make more of this plant, and they pull in opposite directions: one is quick, the other asks you to wait.
DivisionModerate
Early spring, when the clump is root-bound · Divisions can flower within a year or two
If you are eager to see blooms, splitting the rhizome clump is your shortcut to flowers. Wait for early spring once the plant has filled its pot, then cut the clump into sections that each hold a fan of leaves and a fair piece of root. A healthy division may 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
Seed is the route for the patient grower. Start with fresh seed and keep it cozy and warm, around 75°F to 90°F (24°C to 32°C), and even so it needs 6 to 12 weeks just to sprout. After that comes a long wait of 4 to 10 years before the first flower appears, which is why so many gardeners reach for division instead.
Myths
The crane flower is one and the same as the poisonous shrub people also call bird of paradise.
All they have in common is a name. This crane flower is Strelitzia reginae, which the ASPCA rates as only mildly toxic, good for a bit of stomach upset and little more. The shrub passed off as bird of paradise is a different plant entirely, Caesalpinia gilliesii, and it carries much greater danger. The ASPCA plainly cautions against mixing the two up.
Torn, ragged leaves are a sign something is wrong with the plant.
Those tears are perfectly natural. The broad paddle leaves split along their veins on purpose so the wind can move right through them, which is why it shows up most outdoors or in a draft. There is no harm done at all, and the only way to keep the leaves whole is to shield the plant 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