STRELITZIACEAE

family of flowering plants in the ginger order (Zingiberales) that range in size from perennial herbs to trees. The family includes three genera (Ravenala, Phenakospermum, and Strelitzia) and seven species. R. madagascariensis, the traveler's tree (q.v.), native to Madagascar, has a palmlike trunk and leaves with the appearance of a fan. The water that is stored in the leaf bases may enable it to withstand dry conditions. The only species of Phenakospermum, a tree similar to Ravenala, grows in South American swamps. Some species of the southern African genus Strelitzia look like palm trees. Others are herbs bearing exotic flowers (e.g., bird-of-paradise flower, S. reginae). S. augusta, which grows to more than 5 m (16 feet) in height, has banana-like fruit and resembles the traveller's tree. In this family large flowers are enclosed in bracts (leaflike structures), and both leaves and bracts occur in two vertical rows. See also bird-of-paradise flower.