common bird-of-paradise flower

Also known as Crane Flower, Bird of Paradise, Isigude

Bold orange and vivid blue flowers emerge from stiff, beak-like spathes, creating an uncanny resemblance to a crested tropical bird in flight. Stiff, paddle-shaped leaves grow in dense evergreen clumps that store water and withstand coastal winds. In its native South African habitat, sunbirds land on the hard spathe to sip nectar, triggering the flower to dust their feet with pollen.