Product Review

Strelitzia reginae 'Mandela's Gold' or Bird of Paradise is a yellow variant of Strelitzia reginae that appears spontaneously. Because the cross-fertilization with Strelitzia reginae always produces orange flowers it took 20 years of hand pollination to obtain seeds that produce only yellow flowers. This work was done by John Winter, the curator of the botanical gardens at Kirstenbosch in Cape Town, South Africa. In 1994, there was sufficient stock of seeds to grow the plant commercially. Originally, the name Strelitzia reginae 'Kirstenbosch Gold' was awarded but was later changed Strelitzia reginae 'Mandela's Gold' in honor of Nelson Mandela.