STRELITZIA NICOLAI

STRELITZIA NICOLAI

LATIN NAME: STRELITZIA NICOLAI

HOMELAND: SOUTH AFRICA

In memory of Eduard August von Regel

It can be distinguished from the same family as Strelitzia Reginae by its leaves that visually resemble banana leaves.

Although the exact year is not known, it was separated from Strelitzia Reginae under the name of Nicolai by the German Botanist Eduard August von Regel, who was the director of the Russian Imperial Botanical Garden in St. Petersburg between 1875 – 1892.

There is no clear information in the official records, someone explains why Eduard August von Regel called this plant Nicolai. There are two versions, one based on the recordings of the St. Petersburg Botanical Garden and one on the narratives.

According to the records of the St. Petersburg Botanical Garden, the name "Nicolai" was given in honor of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaievich, the eldest son of Tsar Nicholas I.

According to the narratives, Eduard August von Regel associated the word “Strelitz” with the word “Streltsy” meaning infantry soldiers in Russian, and the heroic Russian General Nikolay Niklayevich Raevski and his Regiment, who fought against Napoleon's armies in 1806-1807, became a hero in his own name “Nicolai Regiment” . He named it “Strelitzia Nicolai” to honor his regiment.

Apart from this information, Strelitzia Nicolai, which has the same botanical and cultural origin as Strelitzia Reginae, is also the hero of the Bird of Paradise story in South African tales.