Strelitzia augusta
Thunb.
Great white strelitzia
StrelitziaceaeSeeds/Nuts
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(c) James Bailey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) James Bailey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
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(c) Tony Rebelo, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
(c) Tony Rebelo, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
iNaturalist · cc-by-sa
(c) Tony Rebelo, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
(c) Tony Rebelo, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Seeds
The seeds are eaten.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant.
Africa, East Africa, Eswatini, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland,
Countries: Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Benin, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Comoros, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
How to Identify
A tree that can have one or several trunks. It grows 10 m high. The trunk is spiny and woody. It is covered with old leaf bases. It has a fan like canopy of leaves. The leaves are very large and like banana leaves. These break into feather like strips. They are shiny and leathery and have thick leaf stalks. The flowers are like the head of a bird. They are white on top and purple below. The fruit is a woody capsule which has 3 lobes. It contains many seeds.
Notes
There are 4-5 Strelitzia species. They grow in South Africa.
Names & Synonyms
Wild banana
Strelitzia alba
References (3)
- Dharani, N., 2002, Field Guide to common Trees & Shrubs of East Africa. Struik. p 166
- Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 48
- Nov. gen. pl. 7:113. 1792 - an illegitimate, superfluous name (ICBN Art. 52)
