Caption reads: "The shield of the nectar glad [sic], the folded membranes and the pollen-carrier of Strlitzea reginea. Birds insert bills under the membrane in the shield."
Transcrit: "Babiana's answer is that strelitzia seeds are notoriously difficult to germinate but a little easier if the seed is very fresh and the skin not yet hardened and become impervious to water. For interest's sake you could try filing the seeds until the skin is rubbed almost through before planting them by pressing them into the moist surface of a seed box containing compost and coarse sand. It is hardly worth the trouble, however, as seeding Strelitzias take about seven years to flower."
Article from the Eastern Cape Herald, Wednesday, September 3, 1980. Growing things. Babiana. Article about Japanese Strelitzia expert, Mr Yutaro Suzuki, on his visiting Mr John Shelton in Port ELizabeth.
