Strelitzias of the world

Why is South Africa's iconic strelitzia named after a German-born queen of England? Why does this small family of mainly southern African plants have relatives in Madagascar and in the Amazon? Why do scientists believe that strelitzia seeds could be the key to a new generation of life-saving medicines? Strelitzias of the world is the first book to investigate the life story of these iconic plants. The dramatically different bird of paradise flower burst upon the scientific and gardening world nearly 250 years ago. For more than a century, it was the preserve of aristocrats and royalty. Its grandeur survives to this day, with a specially developed cultivar recently named in honour of the legendary President Nelson Mandela, 'Mandela's Gold'. This was derived from the Strelitzia reginae that entranced both English royal botanical adviser Sir Joseph Banks and Russia's Empress Catherine the Great, as well as England's Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, after whom the flower was named. Strelitzias are a small but far-flung family of eight main members: six in southern Africa; the traveller's palm in Madagascar; and the big palulu in the upper Amazon. From the martyrs of botany battling both disease and pirates while on the trail of strelitzias, this lavishly illustrated book profiles the adventures and history surrounding these extraordinary plants; investigates scientific controversies; discusses the plants' use by people, mammals, birds and insects; and surveys their phenomenal impact on the international flower trade, where they are recognised as one of the world's most beautiful blooms. This "historical and contemporary exploration" of just one plant family is a publishing rarity that will appeal to anyone with a botanical, historical, horticultural, environmental or even biochemical interest in plants. Featuring more than 200 illustrations, including rare historic and contemporary plant specimens from international herbaria, Strelitzias of the world also forms a breathtaking showcase for dramatic botanical drawings and paintings of strelitzias by both the classical greats and by today's South African botanical artists. These include paintings from Franz Bauer, the favourite botanical artist of England's King George III, and from Pierre-Joseph Redouté, the favourite botanical artist of Napoleon's Empress Josephine. A new set of drawings of southern African strelitzias was also commissioned by the Durban Botanic Gardens Trust from renowned KZN botanical artist Angela Beaumont and a dozen other South African botanical artists have donated use of their artwork.

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