Strelitzia is my name,

A distant legacy to the green banana flames,

A beautiful bird in flight I display,

In every house, I always have my own way.

My home lies in the lands of South Africa,

But I was transported to Britain,

The proud star of every garden,

Showered with love and care, the

Apple of my owners’ eyes.

I sprout gorgeous flowery plumes of orange and blue,

(because I am gorgeous)

The colours for miles can be seen,

The wings of a bird of paradise unfolded,

But to my dazzling display, lies a dark sheen.

Roots, roots, and roots,

Twisting and twining and winding,

Forming a system that even when broken in half,

Unless poisoned,

Comes right back to life.

Stems propelling me 5 or 6 feet tall,

Until I become an invasive being,

(EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY HARD TO GET RID OF)

A stubborn member of your wonderful family.

Hit me, slice me in half, pull me out with all the force you have,

I am immovable,

And will remain…

Forever

And ever

And ever

And-

(You get the point).

For I,

The great Strelitzia Nicolai,

Unlike my younger, milder sibling,

Strelitzia Reginae,

AM GIANT AND AGGRESSIVE AND REALLY, REALLY PERSISTENT.

Which is the exact plant our home is now adorned with. The roots just go on and on, great big tuberous masses. For all I know, they go all the way down to Tartarus.

And yet, strelitzia reigns supreme.

“Cuz’ darling I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream…”

Two sides of the same coin:(.

Beware the strelitzia-

Signing off…