Part of the fun for Road Trips Gardeners who live in temperate climes is the chance to see what are considered “exotic” flowers growing as ordinary ornamentals.

This Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia) raised its bird-like bloom in a flower bed not far from the railway station in Nairobi, Kenya (as seen earlier this month).

According to Wikipedia, “Strelitzia is a genus of five species of perennial plants, native to South Africa. It belongs to the plant family Strelitziaceae. The genus is named after the duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, birthplace of Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom.

They’re pollinated by Sunbirds, a bird found throughout Africa.

(Photo ©2013 by Susan McKee)