Bird of Paradise Flower is a clumping tropical plant native to South Africa. Its large gray-green leaves arise from underground rhizomes. It is best known for its large unusual inflorescence that resembles a bird's head. It blooms intermittently throughout the year. Grow indoors in a well-lit, sunny spot in fertile loamy well-drained soil. Water plants freely and fertilize regularly in spring and summer but keep drier in winter. Bird of paradise needs moderate temperatures 55 to 65 F at night. When temperatures rise above 70F. outside, place your plant in a sunny to a semi-shaded location with good air circulation. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: The Bird of Paradise is usually pest and disease free. Monitor for mealybugs, scale, and spider mites. Root rot can occur from overwatering or poorly drained soils. Leaf spot may cause yellow or brown spots on the leaves. The plant is toxic to cats, dogs, and horses.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Multi-stemmed
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Rosulate
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, > 6 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Clumps of 3.5-4 feet long gray-green leaves that look like banana leaves.
Flower color
Blue; Orange; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Good Cut; Showy
Flower size
> 6 inches
Flower detail
The flowers emerge one at a time from the spathe and consist of 3 brilliant orange sepals and 3 bright blue petals. Two of the blue petals are joined together to form an arrow-like nectary. When the birds sit to have a drink of nectar, the petals open to cover their feet with pollen.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Orange
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
The fruit is a leathery capsule containing numerous small seeds, each with an orange aril.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Cape Provinces to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Distribution
Introduced: Bangladesh and Mexico
Play value
Colorful
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Capsule
Uses (ethnobotany)
It has been used for medicinal purposes by the indigenous people of South Africa.