# Bird of Paradise



## tortadise

I'm really loving these guys. Can't wait to get them back in the greenhouse this fall. Very fast tropical growing plant for sure.

Got some new leaves coming out on all the plants.


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## wellington

Nice giant leaves. But the bird of paradise I know of is a flower. Are yours the same, just no flower on them yet?


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## tortadise

wellington said:


> Nice giant leaves. But the bird of paradise I know of is a flower. Are yours the same, just no flower on them yet?


Yep no flower yet.


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## harris

Is it Manouria proof? Ha!


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## tortadise

harris said:


> Is it Manouria proof? Ha!


Nope. Even in a planter. Basically nothing is Manouria proof except bamboo. Hah


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## Turtlepete

I thought bird's of paradise were toxic? Or is it just not to manouria, like Alocasia/Colocasia?

They look like mini banana's to me, haha.


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## tortadise

Turtlepete said:


> I thought bird's of paradise were toxic? Or is it just not to manouria, like Alocasia/Colocasia?
> 
> They look like mini banana's to me, haha.


I'm sure they're probably listed. I've never had the. Available to any of the torts though. I do know if these were placed in with the Manouria, even in a pot. It would be gone. They would topple it over and bam eat it all toxic or not. Manouria crack me up.


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## tortadise

Turtlepete said:


> I thought bird's of paradise were toxic? Or is it just not to manouria, like Alocasia/Colocasia?
> 
> They look like mini banana's to me, haha.


They're cousins to the banana actually.

This species is strelitzia nicolai. These will get 15-20' tall and bloom white when mature. These were all little plantlings this spring. So have grown quite well. Actually all 3 of the bigger ones I split into 3 from one plant. I love them, and all the tropical plants. Especially the bomiliads I keep. Mmmmmmmm tropical tortoises and tropical plants.


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## (r.t)

What a beauty!!!! I  Plants !!!


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## N2TORTS

There are actually a few different kinds of bird of paradise ....I narrow it down to two forms.
The clumping type and the Giant bird of paradise. We have used this plant in the building industry for years , as they have a shallow root with no runners, thus not breaking up concrete . Also a very clean plant so good for hardscapes , especially around swimming pools. The one down fall on the giant types, is the flower itself produces a gooey resin sap and will stain any concrete or stone work around. We have both varieties at the Cove' as they do provide a very nice tropical "look".....
Strelitzia are clumping or tree-forming evergreen perennials with long leaves resembling banana tree leaves. The blossoms resemble tropical birds in flight. Caesalpinia (also dwarf poinciana) are evergreen or deciduous desert-adapted trees or shrubs with small, oval leaves and brightly-colored clusters of flowers.
The orange bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae) is orange-blooming with clumping leaves that shoot 3 to 5 feet from the crown. White (Strelitzia alba) and giant (Strelitzia nicholai) bird of paradise bloom white. The white forms a tree 18 feet tall and the giant 30 feet tall. The red bird of paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) and yellow (Caesalpinia gilliesii) have the same size and shape, but the yellow-blossoming species is hardier. Mexican bird of paradise (Caesalpinia mexicana) blooms sulfur yellow with a strong fragrance.
The Juncea bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae var. juncea) is similar to the orange species, but the blooms are smaller. Mandelas's Gold produces yellow blossoms instead of the typical orange. Dwarf bird of paradise such as humilis and pygmaea only grow 18 to 20 inches tall. Caesalpinia pulcherrima phoenix is a red bird of paradise but blooms gold.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/facts_7675879_types-bird-paradise.html


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## N2TORTS

Ran out back for some examples .....
Clumping Type .....




Giant Type ....


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## tortadise

Mmmmmm yeah JD


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## N2TORTS

tortadise said:


> Mmmmmm yeah JD


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## Jacqui

Those are awesome. I think I like the tall version better, though.


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## tortadise

Jacqui said:


> Those are awesome. I think I like the tall version better, though.


Yep me too. Seen some in Costa Rica and panama about 40+ feet. Stocks at the trunk 18" thick and 8' wide. Love them.


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## N2TORTS

Here is the clump type in Bloom .....


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## Jacqui

Okay so now maybe I like the clump one better. lol


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## Kapidolo Farms

tortadise said:


> I'm really loving these guys. Can't wait to get them back in the greenhouse this fall. Very fast tropical growing plant for sure.
> 
> Got some new leaves coming out on all the plants.
> View attachment 90784
> 
> View attachment 90785


 Hey Kelly, at least two or three kinds are very popular here in San Diego, literally thousands per shopping mall etc. I did some looking up and found the most planted variety here was a southern African native. Leopards won't touch it there based on a reach out to some RSA tortoise people, and it's not listed on any of the animal feed sites (not toxic lists mind you, but feed on purpose sites). I agree they look great, but why nor plant lots of stuff they can eat? There are so many things they can eat you know, like banana, which looks similar, and is nearly as hardy.

Just curious why plant anything not edible? On FB pages for Ty Park, a major breeder of herbivours lizards, he laments the cost of feeding, yet there he is in FLA and all the ground in the world, and he plants non-edible stuff. What's up with that? you know. I guess it's the difference between a feedlot like operation and a grazing operation. I tend to see the grazing method a bit better. You can alway supplement with other things, but grow grow grow, it's fun, I like husbanding plants as much as the tortoises.

At the Philly Zoo we had a browse farm, neglected by many keepers, but highly utilized by me for the Corucia and tortoises.


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## tortadise

Will said:


> Hey Kelly, at least two or three kinds are very popular here in San Diego, literally thousands per shopping mall etc. I did some looking up and found the most planted variety here was a southern African native. Leopards won't touch it there based on a reach out to some RSA tortoise people, and it's not listed on any of the animal feed sites (not toxic lists mind you, but feed on purpose sites). I agree they look great, but why nor plant lots of stuff they can eat? There are so many things they can eat you know, like banana, which looks similar, and is nearly as hardy.
> 
> Just curious why plant anything not edible? On FB pages for Ty Park, a major breeder of herbivours lizards, he laments the cost of feeding, yet there he is in FLA and all the ground in the world, and he plants non-edible stuff. What's up with that? you know. I guess it's the difference between a feedlot like operation and a grazing operation. I tend to see the grazing method a bit better. You can alway supplement with other things, but grow grow grow, it's fun, I like husbanding plants as much as the tortoises.
> 
> At the Philly Zoo we had a browse farm, neglected by many keepers, but highly utilized by me for the Corucia and tortoises.


Yes indeed Will. I completely agree. I have not facilitated the growth of greens yet. But numerous other feeding options I do grow here. Every summer I have gourd, squash(5 varieties), watermelon, plenty of cacti, and lots of tomatoe plants, along with hibiscus(Korean and South African) the mass numbers of the tortoises here requires a large row of kale, dandelions, and greens to supply adequately. Right now we go through 6 boxes of kale from California, 4 boxes of Texas curly kale, 3 boxes of red tip, 10 boxes of turnip, collards or mustard, 3 boxes of endive(hard to get in mass quantity here) 80 pounds of oyster mushrooms, and 20 pounds of button mushrooms. Finally about 300 pounds of squash and Jerusalem melons(Kinixys favorite) each month it's quite an order added up with 4 deliveries each week from my local produce stand girl. All locally grown(except California kale) and sometimes Papaya from Central America. But I have entertained the option of a greenhouse for this method of growing our own. Mainly dandelions, and far more nutritious items for them. Lots of the enclosures for the smaller species like Angulata, all the grazing Kinixys, chilensis, Kleinmanni etc... Have wheat grass sprouts mixed with dandelion, clover sprouts in their enclosure. I have to rotate trays out as they eat all of it in very rapid time.


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## Kapidolo Farms

That's a stagering grocery bill. Does anyone keep any animals on 'what they can eat on their own' in an outdoor setting? It'd be interesting to see a pounds of tortoise per square foot of graze ratio. It would help to know how big an area one, or a small group can do well with the graze being the sole provision.


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## tortadise

Will said:


> That's a stagering grocery bill. Does anyone keep any animals on 'what they can eat on their own' in an outdoor setting? It'd be interesting to see a pounds of tortoise per square foot of graze ratio. It would help to know how big an area one, or a small group can do well with the graze being the sole provision.


Eh it's not too bad. Most the farmers donate it to us. The oyster mushrooms are donated by Buddhists monks that grow them. The leopards and sulcatas I rarely give any grocery greens. But they will eat all the grass down to nothing by this time of year so have to be supplemented august-September.

2.2 leopards are combined weight of 85-97 pounds and have 2500 square feet of grass.
Sulcatas are combined 280 and have 9800 square feet of grass.


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