Why Does My Bird Of Paradise Have Slits In The Leaves?
So you get your new bird of paradise and….WHATS with these tears all over the leaves??? I’m getting my money back!!
We consistently get these emails about the bird of paradise leaves having tears in them and customers upset because their plant “isn’t healthy”. Well, what if I told you that these slits are completely normal and natural.
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MAKE WAY FOR THE WIND
What many see as imperfections of the leaf, or even a dying plant, is actually what keeps the Bird of Paradise plant, aka Strelitzia, from perishing in nature!
The purpose of these slits is due to the top-heavy nature of the bird of paradise. Since it has long stalks and broad, oval-shaped leaves at the top, strong tropical winds can tear big holes in the leaves, tear a whole stalk down, or even completely uproot the plant. To prevent this from happening the bird of paradise evolved to naturally tear its edges. This creates more drag for the wind and somewhere for it to be directed. And though we’re indoors with no wind, the bird of paradise has evolved this way, so it will continue to create those slits.
The slits are even so characteristic to the bird of paradise that an artificial bird of paradise plant has the slits too!!
Now that you know why the bird of paradise tears itself apart and you can witness this interesting adaptation in your space! Here are some cool pictures of what you'll see!! Maybe you could get a cool shot yourself!
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