google has links to all the various types

The Orange BOP is the smaller of the two, white can get pretty tall.

Here's a list:

Species

Strelitzia alba (syn. S. augusta) - White bird of paradise
Strelitzia caudata - Swaziland Strelitzia, African desert banana
Strelitzia nicolai - White, or Giant bird of paradise; Wild banana
Strelitzia reginae (syn. S. parvifolia) - Strelitzia, Bird of paradise, or Crane lily
Hybrids
S Ã kewensis (hybrid between S. reginae and S. augusta)
Varieties
S. reginae v. juncea. Greatly reduced or non-existent leaves.

I'm growing S. alba, S. caudata and S. reginae v. juncea and a dwarf variety from seed. You'll never find S. kewensis unless you know someone who works in the Kew Gardens in England.

Here's a link where you can buy the seeds. (It in German, but you should be able to figure out how to order from it. I did, and I don't know any German.

Here is a link that might be useful: German Strelitzia seed site

Strelitzia juncea (syn. parvifolia) with Sansevieria in background.
{{gwi:1306696}}

There is a narrow leaf bird of paradise but I am unsure as to the botanic name. The name
Strelitzia parvifolia juncea is confusing. The narrow leaf & no leaf (as pictured above) supposedly comes under that category but they look completely different. The narrow leaf appears to be more uncommon.

I have also seen all but the Strelitzia caudata on eBay. The standard orange & mini orange is sometimes found on the seed trading forum.

There is also a Giant White variegated bird of paradise. There are reports online regarding some breeders developing a variegated no leaf.

If you ever purchase Strelitzia reginae 'Mandelas Gold', make sure the seller knew the source or knew they were correctly hand pollinated. Seeds need to come from a yellow crossed with a yellow. If a yellow crossed with an orange, the orange dominates.

If the S Ã kewensis is a hybrid between S. reginae (Standard orange) and S. augusta (Giant White), that should be possible here in the states. I can not find pictures, but it appears as if cultivation has stopped:

http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ksheets/bop.html

In 1909, S. x kewensis, a hybrid between S. reginae and S. alba, flowered at Kew for the first time, producing pale watery yellow flowers. Unfortunately it now seems to have disappeared from cultivation.

A related plant in the Strelitzia family is the travelerÂs palm as well as dwarf varieties.

To add to your confusion, there is the Mexican bird of paradise. These are different plants, & are caesalpina rather than Strelitzia.

In addition to the Traveller's Palm (Ravenala madagascariensis), there is also Phenakospermum guyannense or Ravanala guyanensis in the same family.

You can see from the photo that Phenakospermum guyannense is in the same family. It has that Bird of Paradise "look".

You can buy rhizomes from Tropilab in Surinam in South America.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tropilab

Thanks, cagary for the rhizome source for the Phenakospermum guyannense. It is confusing with the Strelitzia info online, as they all seem to copy & paste each otherÂs work. So, just to get this straight in my own understanding, others in the Strelitzia family are:

Phenakospermum guyannense.: South American travelers palm, big palulu, red traveler's palm.
Ravenala madagascariensis: traveler's palm, traveler's tree, arbol del viajero, waaierpalm.

I would love to get a Phenakospermum guyannense  itÂs just saving up for the phytosanitary certificate. There is also a Ravenala guayensis (Red Traveler's Tree). To my understanding it is a dwarf variety of Ravenala madagascariensis. There are sources in the states, but I have had problems with seed germination with some of the companies.

Here is a small picture:

http://www.sunshine-seeds.de/shop/index.html?d_M2_01_Ravenala_guayensis37445.htm

baci,

Ravenala guayensis (Red Traveler's Tree) is the same plant as Phenakospermum guyannense. Contrary to what many internet site say, it is not a dwarf form of Ravenala madagascariensis. The horticulturist at Tropilab told me this.

If you order a Phenakospermum guyannense from Tropilab, be sure to request that your rhizome is large AND has roots. You might have to pay a little extra for this, but its worth it because it'll have a better chance of growing.

Thanks for your help everyone! If it's kept in a pot, will it be somewhat contained, size wise or will it still get very tall?

Thanks, cagary. I will investigate more. There are companies that sell seeds without knowing their product, so I appreciate the information. I drove through Orange County the other day & saw travelers palms in private lots & in front of businesses  I wonder the varieties above are already introduced somewhere in CA.
gardener972, you can keep them in pots. If you have one like the no leaf pictured above, it will probably get to be about 3 ft. The narrow leaf should be about 5 ft. Here are some pictures of the narrow leaf.

http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/10800

Some of the writings online say these plants prefer to be pot bound, but I am a big fan of happy roots with plenty of room for these plants. Some growers claim it helps with blooming in cooler zones, but they will flower fine with the extra root room in warm zones. Furthermore, if your summer heat is intense, you do not want root bound plants struggling for their food in the hot sun. 15 ft giant whites can be grown in pots; commercial growers put them in boxes. They can take hot sun, but in desert area they use shade cloth.
They can be potted with an extended release fertilizer; add extra fertilizer during bloom time.

baci,

Here's a photo of the Ravenala madagascariensis in front of my home. The photo is over a year old, so the plant is somewhat larger now. Its gone through two winters here in southern Orange County without any damage at all. I also have a small Phenakospermum guyannense growing in my greenhouse. I got it from Trobilab. Its struggling, but I think its going to make it.

i have 2 differnt types. one is the common one that is bush like and gets about 4 ft tall. the other isn't bush like.... it looks stiff almost, the way the stems stand straight up inlike the other were they lean over...

Cagary, that is a beautiful Ravenala madagascariensis. They are breathtaking.
Tropicalfreak, if you have the common one, it is probably Strelitzia reginae. The other may be a couple of different ones  if you post pictures you may get an ID on forum.

Hello Everyone - I'm looking for Mandela's Gold. Can anyone help? I saw it at the Farmers Market for 18.00 ( 5 gal ) today, but I didn't have any more cash. When I got back - they were sold out - boo hoo!