THDb: Strelitzia reginae

Strelitzia reginae

AKA: Bird of paradise
Appearance: Tampa Bay origami, hummingbird methadone
Origin: A fever dream rising from the ashes of an Anaheim Ramada
Occupation: Trailer park socialite, patron saint of screenplays
Scent:  Top notes of traffic median with a hard candy drydown
Zones: Responsible for every bad date in Melbourne
Applications: Facilitator of shoulder-pad time travel
Care: Seven years from now, its leaves will part to reveal your sugardaddy
Needs: Sends a lot of emails but otherwise low-maintenance
Cameos:  My Psychedelic Pension, starring Burt Reynolds

Strelitzia nicolai, reginae’s vuluptuous sister. Photo by Robert Benoit