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Strelitzia reginae vs nicolai

Updated: 22 October 2026

The parcel says bird of paradise, and the adult plant still depends on which species is in the pot. Strelitzia reginae vs nicolai is a split on flower colour and on height: the smaller orange houseplant against the giant white foliage plant. Five of the six amazon.co.uk titles in this set name neither. Prices and pots are on the [Strelitzia plant comparison](/hub/ornamental-plants/strelitzia-plant). This page does not rank those listings. Figures are from 20 October 2026. Peter F. used the Royal Horticultural Society, BBC Gardeners’ World and Thompson & Morgan for the species lines. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The parcel says bird of paradise, and the adult plant still depends on which species is in the pot.

Our top picks

Perfect Plants Perfect Plants Strelitzia reginae, 12 cm pot

Best overall

Perfect Plants Perfect Plants Strelitzia reginae, 12 cm pot
8.2/10about £17.95
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Carbeth Plants Carbeth Strelitzia in a 9 cm pot, 2 m claim

Rank 2

Carbeth Plants Carbeth Strelitzia in a 9 cm pot, 2 m claim
7.8/10about £14.99
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Carbeth Plants Carbeth Strelitzia in a 9 cm pot

Rank 3

Carbeth Plants Carbeth Strelitzia in a 9 cm pot
7.8/10about £14.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Flower colour
  2. 2.Height, with each figure labelled
  3. 3.Which plant for which room
  4. 4.What these six titles actually name

Flower colour

Strelitzia reginae flowers orange and blue. The RHS treats it as the usual houseplant, with blooms in winter and spring once the plant is already large. If a mature plant opens orange, you are looking at reginae or a cultivar in that group. This set does not include Mandela’s Gold. Strelitzia nicolai flowers white and blue, from blackish spathes, and only when mature. Gardeners’ World says it is grown mainly for foliage, with a white flower only occasionally. Thompson & Morgan says the plant they sell does not reliably flower indoors. A banana is Musa, a different genus. Wild banana is a nickname for the leaf. Whether a listing claims a live strelitzia is the check on the strelitzia plant buying guide.

Height, with each figure labelled

For Strelitzia reginae, the RHS maximum is about 1–1.5 m by 0.5–1 m, hardiness H1B. That is the size to plan for in a room once it is grown, not the height of a 12 cm pot. For Strelitzia nicolai, the RHS species maximum is 8–12 m by 4–8 m, also H1B, with 10–20 years to maturity. Leaf blades can reach about 1.5 m. That 8–12 m is the plant in the open, not a 9 cm pot in a British flat. Gardeners’ World’s houseplant table says about 2 m. Thompson & Morgan states 3 m for the nicolai they sell. Keep each figure with its source. None of them is the arrival height of these listings.
Perfect Plants Perfect Plants Strelitzia reginae, 12 cm pot

Testsieger

Perfect Plants Perfect Plants Strelitzia reginae, 12 cm pot
8.2/10about £17.95
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Which plant for which room

Choose Strelitzia reginae for a bright UK room or conservatory when you can give it the years. About 1–1.5 m still fits a room more readily than a giant. H1B applies to both, so neither spends a UK winter outdoors. Nights around 10–12°C are the floor. Watering is on the how to grow a strelitzia page. Choose Strelitzia nicolai when you want the giant leaves and have the floor space. Indoors it is a foliage plant. A 7–10 m seller line on a 9 cm pot is not proof of nicolai. A 2 m claim on another unnamed pot is not an identification either.

What these six titles actually name

Only Perfect Plants names Strelitzia reginae, at about £17.95 in a 12 cm pot, star line 4.0 from 26. A bullet says PLANT SEED, and reviews describe a live plant. Naming reginae does not mean the pot is in flower. The other five say Strelitzia or bird of paradise and stop. None names Strelitzia nicolai, and the price does not choose for you. A bright-room choice inside the set is on the best strelitzia plant page. Buy nicolai only when a nursery title says Strelitzia nicolai.

Common questions

How tall is each, and which figure belongs to which source?
The RHS puts Strelitzia reginae at about 1–1.5 m by 0.5–1 m. The RHS species maximum for Strelitzia nicolai is 8–12 m by 4–8 m, with leaf blades up to about 1.5 m. Gardeners’ World’s houseplant table says about 2 m for the nicolai it describes. Thompson & Morgan states 3 m for the plant they sell. A 9 cm pot is none of those heights on arrival.
Do any of these six titles name Strelitzia nicolai?
None of them does. Only the Perfect Plants listing names Strelitzia reginae. The other five say Strelitzia or bird of paradise. The 7–10 m bullet on one 9 cm pot is a seller claim. It does not identify the plant as nicolai. A named nicolai in this comparison would have the species on the title.
If the title only says bird of paradise, can the price tell me the species?
The price cannot. Unnamed Carbeth listings sit at about £14.99, £16.99 and £23.99. The only named reginae in the set is about £17.95. Nursery nicolai prices outside this set, from about £16 for a small plant to about £55 for a plant around 1 m, are other shops on 20 October 2026. They show that a name on the label is a different offer, not that a pound figure equals a species.
Will a small Strelitzia nicolai flower white in a UK living room?
Treat it as foliage. Thompson & Morgan says the plant they sell does not reliably flower indoors. The RHS gives nicolai 10–20 years to maturity at species scale, and flowers come from a mature plant. A juvenile in a small pot will not open a white bloom this year. The same patience applies to orange reginae, which the RHS usually times at about five to ten years.
Is a bird of paradise a banana, and are other strelitzias in this set?
A banana is Musa, a different genus. The leaf of nicolai is only nicknamed a wild banana. Strelitzia juncea and Mandela’s Gold are not among these six listings. If you want either of those, you need a title that names them. An unnamed bird of paradise on amazon.co.uk has not made that choice for you.

Related pages

Strelitzia not flowering

Strelitzia plant

Best strelitzia plant for a bright room, not a bloom

Strelitzia plant buying guide for the amazon parcel

How to grow a strelitzia plant through a UK winter

Sources

Public sources from the research digest, last checked on 20 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file. The price band is this set, not a market average. Scores apply to these six listings only.

  1. RHS: how to grow strelitzia (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. RHS: Strelitzia reginae (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. RHS: hardiness ratings (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. BBC Gardeners' World: Strelitzia nicolai (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK: plant passports in Great Britain (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. Dogs Trust / VPIS poisonous substances factsheet (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. Grow Tropicals: Strelitzia nicolai (retrieved 20 October 2026)