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Common names, scientific names, use and care, cultivation and propagation tips, flowering habits, history and little-known facts for the curious tourist or resident.
Click on pics for large view
Ornamental African bamboo
Bamboo stalks are used for fishing "cane poles."
Banana fruit grows upside down.
Birds of paradise resemble exotic birds.
Bamboo (Arundinaria)
Family: Gramineae
Use: Bamboo is widely used throughout the world, primarily as building materials, food and food preparation utensils, musical instruments, fishing poles and in handicrafts. Its use was recorded as long ago as 1000 B.C. in India. It is commonly planted as an ornamental. There are about 1,000 species, including green, black, and yellow forms. Some, especially the golden bamboo, can be invasive in landscape uses.
Flowers: Once every several decades, all the bamboo plants in an area will flower at the same time, producing many flowered spikes. In between these displays, there are no flowers at all.
Banana (Musa)
Family: Musaceae
Use: Banana is a tree-like plant (actually a herb), closely related to plantains. It produces edible fruit that grows in clusters. There are many fruits to each tier, which is called a hand. Bananas are the staple starch in some tropical populations. Bananas are eaten raw, cooked, fried or dried.
Flowers: These are orange-yellow in color, formed on long drooping stalks. The tender inner flowers are used in cooking, primarily in Asia.
Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae)
Family: Musaceae
Alternate Names: Crane Flower, Crane's Bill
Use: The large and showy flowers are commercially grown as a staple of the cut flower business. The plant works well in formal arrangements, as a bedding component, and as a prominent feature of open tropical garden spaces. Bird of paradise is often planted near pools and water features, since it produces very little litter.
Flowers: Large and exotic, the orange, blue and purple flowers resemble tropical birds, hence the name. The plant flowers continuously throughout the year, with one orange flower emerging each day from the green or purple boat-shaped 9 to11 inch bracts.
Note: The scientific name was given in honor of the wife of King George III, Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
Linda Abbott Trapp has much more to say about bamboo, banana trees and birds of paradise. For tips on cultivation and propogation, we invite you to join our family of subscribers... it isn't expensive. A monthly subscription is just $5.00 USD - that's $1.15 per week. An annual subscription costs $30.00 USD - only $2.50 per month or 58 cents per week. We think you'll find it's money well spent.
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