Strelitzia caudata, commonly known as themountain strelitzia orwild banana, is a species ofbanana-likeStrelitzia fromAfrica from theChimanimani Mountains ofZimbabwe south toMozambique, theNorthern Provinces ofSouth Africa andEswatini (Swaziland).[1] It is one of three large banana-likeStrelitzia species, all of which are native to southern Africa,[2] the other two beingS. alba andS. nicolai.
| Mountain strelitzia | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Zingiberales |
| Family: | Strelitziaceae |
| Genus: | Strelitzia |
| Species: | S. caudata |
| Binomial name | |
| Strelitzia caudata | |
Description
editGrowing up to 8 metres tall, it has a leafless woody stem and has a fan shaped crown. The leaves are 2 by 0.6m, greyish-green in colour and are arranged in two vertical ranks. The seeds are black with a tuft of bright orange hairs.[3][4]
Taxonomy
editStrelitzia caudata was first described in 1946 byRobert Allen Dyer inFlowering Plants of Africa , Volume 25, Plate 997.[5][6] The specific epithetcaudata means "with a slender tail";[7] this refers to an appendage of a sepal, which is prominent in this species.[6]
Habitat
editIt usually grows in dense clumps, in areas of montane forests and is found between rocks on steep grassy slopes.[4]
References
edit- ^"World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew".apps.kew.org. Retrieved2017-08-01.
- ^"Strelitzia caudata R.A.Dyer". PlantZAfrica.com.
- ^"Flora of Zimbabwe: Species information: Strelitzia caudata".www.zimbabweflora.co.zw. Retrieved2022-03-17.
- ^abVan Wyk, Braam (1997).Field guide to Trees of Southern Africa. Struik.ISBN 1-86825-922-6.
- ^"Strelitzia caudata".International Plant Names Index (IPNI).Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew;Harvard University Herbaria &Libraries;Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved24 October 2009.
- ^abDyer, R.A. (1946)."Plate 997. Strelitzia caudata".The flowering plants of South Africa.25. Retrieved2024-05-29.
- ^Hyam, R. & Pankhurst, R.J. (1995). "caudata".Plants and their names : a concise dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 96.ISBN 978-0-19-866189-4.
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