The Bird of Paradise Without Wings
This particular “bird” has no wings and will never fly. However, people around the world will stop and gawk at its flightless beauty. Take a look at this bird of paradise without wings.
Back in 1773 there was a buzz at the Royal Gardens of Kew. The Director, Sir Joseph Banks was about to introduce a new flower to the collection and he had named it after the Queen of the time. Queen Charlotte was the Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz so this exotic new addition was called Strelitzua reginae in her honor. To the inhabitants of eighteenth century England the flower, then, represented the epitome of courtly glamour and its appearance was key to its instant success. However, it was to become best known by its common name – the bird-of-paradise flower. It is easy to see why.
When seen in a group the result is even more startling. These birds look out for each other, sentinels guarding the colony together. It is almost as if they are keeping a wary eye out for predators. If there is no collective noun for a group of these majestic flowers, then there certainly should be.
Far away from Kew, the wilds of South Africa are its native habitat where it can be found on river banks and some scrubland and is seen from the Cape Province to Natal. Its one of a kind cousin in England, however, was to have pride of place at Kew – where botanists brought rare specimens from the known world. There is nothing remarkable about the stalk and leaves of the plant – but it is the flower, which bears the common name bird-of-paradise that is the real eye-catcher.
As the bird-of-paradise flowers, its exquisite nature is revealed. Each flower presents itself singly, with three upright sepals of a gorgeous orange accompanied by the same number of intensely blue petals. Perpendicular to its stem, the flowers can confuse the mind for more than a moment. Their structure gives the onlooker the impression that they are witnessing, at first glance, a bird, albeit just a gorgeous crest rising from its rather still and lifeless head!
However, this is not the freakish end result of evolution’s attempt to mimic the shape and size of a bird’s head – it is rather an accident of nature. From the bract (the structure from which the flowers emerge one by one) to the flowers and sepals themselves, the design of this particular plant is not intended to attract similar looking birds. Neither is it to act as a form of camouflage. Rather, it blooms in to this head-turning shape in order to attract the wonderfully named sunbird, which in return for a meal of nectar, will provide the bird-of-paradise flower with the opportunity to create the next generation.
A pair of petals conjoin in to something which looks like an arrowhead – and the third forms the nectary underneath the flower. A nectary is the gland where the liquid, rich in sugar and a food source to animals known as nectar is stored. The nectar, in this case, is a food source of the sunbird and this brings the two species together in what is known as mutualism – where on species provides something for the other to increase its well being in return for a certain service.
As the bird lands on the arrowhead petals, it parts them and the nectaries are exposed. The nectaries are at the base of the flower as this ensures that a maximum amount of pollen is deposited on to the bird. When the bird eyes another paradise plant to feed on the intention in this mutualism is that it will deposit the first set of pollen on to the stigma of the second plant.
The seeds produced are contained in waxy orange-brown unprepossessing capsules. However, it does seem to be attractive to birds that will devour the seeds and hopefully deposit them in a new habitat some way from the parent plant. So it is that the circle of life ends for this flightless bird of paradise. The romantic nature of some will not doubt prefer to remember them in their prime, proud and in full ‘plumage’.
Feted for its outlandish beauty for centuries, the bird-of-paradise can now be found in parks and gardens throughout the world, and is grown outdoors in warmer climates. Even though temperatures are rising it is still very difficult to grow them in climates such as that enjoyed – or not – by the British. With a dearth of sunbirds it relies on hand pollination for reproduction which, while it is difficult to resist some smutty humor at this juncture – is the only way it will seed in these areas.
Wherever it is seen, though, it consistently attracts new fans and is guaranteed to thrill gardeners and casual onlookers alike when in flower. Some people are so enamored of this bird of paradise that they carry a permanent reminder of its beauty on their body!
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30 Responses to “The Bird of Paradise Without Wings”
On January 30, 2009 at 12:01 pm
What a wonderfully written and beautiful article! This is better than something one would read in National Geographic. This reader’s interest was captivated throughout. The material is well organized and thoughtfully written with great explanation and detail. I loved the photos too. Nicely done!
On January 30, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Most excellent text to guide the reader through this exploratory piece. Have you ever entertained a career in education, RJ?
On January 30, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Great article and amazing photographs.
I don’t think a career in education would suit RJ because he needs all his time for writing! LOL
On January 30, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Oh wow, we used to have something like these in our garden, I always wondered what they were. Interesting article.
On January 30, 2009 at 12:52 pm
You have done a wonderful job with this article. The flower is stunning. I have never seen anything like it before. Well done.
Christine
On January 30, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Another beauty of nature, well-prepared presentation and story by the way.
On January 30, 2009 at 1:17 pm
excellent work! amazing photos!
On January 30, 2009 at 1:22 pm
I agree, this is an excellent article with some beautiful photos to illustrate.
On January 30, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Excellent photos to accompany well researched and written information.
RJ
On January 30, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Oh a few more days and I could have sent you a picture of my first one! I have a baby growing in the garden and the flower bud is about to burst…knowing my luck it will be white one!!
Great vibrant article.
On January 30, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Lovely!
On January 30, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Nice, well done piece.
Thanks,
Clay
On January 30, 2009 at 3:28 pm
It truly is a beautiful flower.Good and interesting article.
On January 30, 2009 at 4:05 pm
awesome!!!
On January 30, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Some of my favorite flowers. Excellent tour RJ!
On January 30, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Great article
It is beautiful!
On January 30, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Wonderful article, RJ and you chose a very interesting subject. They really do look like birds and the pictures are magnificent.
I learned a lot from your writing and I love it when I learn something new.
Thank you
On January 30, 2009 at 10:38 pm
I’ve always loved this flower, well, at least the last few years since my wife introduced it to me
But accident of nature? Give God more credit than that. Brian
On January 31, 2009 at 9:31 am
I’ve loved this flower since I was a child. I’ve tried to grow one here myself, but to no avail. Since they are so expensive, my husband has sworn me off from buying another one until I have learned to grow them…lol.
On January 31, 2009 at 10:16 am
I watched a great garden programme on BBC that featured some wonderful specimen of this flower. Amazing pictures and great write-up
On January 31, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Article and photos reflects the beauty of the flower. I’m so glad they are easy to find in So. Cal.
On January 31, 2009 at 3:22 pm
those are so pretty! i wish i could grow one! maybe someday i will. thanks for sharing. have a wonderful day
On January 31, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Good article! :0
On January 31, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Absolutely stunning. I love the closeup above the bird.
On January 31, 2009 at 8:54 pm
These flowers are so dramatic and unforgettable.
On February 2, 2009 at 1:15 am
Absolutely amazing work!
On February 3, 2009 at 8:35 pm
When I was a boy we had one in the front yard,it was huge and pretty.
On February 4, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Great article! Isn’t nature amazing?!
On February 19, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Wow! Now I have real writing skills to aspire to and lessons in maximizing the affect of imagery. Awesome!
AC
On March 5, 2009 at 2:37 am
you do not even have to read the article it is the colour that does it
……. just kidding, great work!
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