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Giant Bird of Paradise

Strelitzia nicolai · Strelitziaceae
10m
Mature height
3
Councils: no permit needed
0
Councils: exempt under a height limit
17
Councils: permit required
Giant Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia nicolai) growing in Sydney
Giant Bird of Paradise · typical mature form

Do you need a permit?

Giant Bird of Paradise is a protected tree in effectively every council Pro Climbing Tree Services covers. Expect to need a tree permit, or a development application where the property is heritage listed or in a heritage conservation area.

How to identify it

Huge paddle shaped banana like leaves on tall clumping stems, with dramatic white and blue boat shaped flowers. Forms a dense multi stemmed clump that expands outward each year.

Where it grows in Sydney

Planted extensively in courtyard and coastal gardens across the Eastern Suburbs, Inner West, Lower North Shore and Northern Beaches.

Common problems

  • Clumps expand relentlessly and crowd out everything nearby
  • Massive fleshy root mass that lifts paving and cracks walls
  • Torn leaves look permanently shabby in windy positions
  • Very heavy to remove for its size because of the water content

What removal involves

Exempt in Lane Cove, Woollahra and Waverley, and generally below permit thresholds elsewhere because of its clumping habit rather than a single trunk. Deceptively heavy work, with a dense fleshy root mass that usually needs an excavator or a lot of manual digging.

Council permit rules, council by council

Status below is for a tree on private land that has passed the council’s size threshold. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping and conditions of development consent override every exemption shown here.
Council
Status
What it means
Northern Beaches
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Ku-ring-gai
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Hornsby Shire
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
The Hills Shire
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Blacktown City
Permit required
Council does not run a species exemption list. A permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold, and each tree is assessed on its own merits. Official rules
North Sydney
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Willoughby
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Lane Cove
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
City of Ryde
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Hunters Hill
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
City of Sydney
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Inner West
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Woollahra
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Waverley
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Randwick
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Bayside
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Georges River
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Strathfield
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Burwood
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Canterbury-Bankstown
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Why is removing one so expensive for a plant that is not a tree?

The root mass is dense, fleshy and extremely heavy, and it often sits under paving or against footings. The above ground part comes down quickly, the root ball is the job.

Commonly confused with

Umbrella Tree
Both are removal jobs where the root mass, not the top, is the work

Related species

Umbrella Tree (Schefflera actinophylla) growing in Sydney
Umbrella Tree
Schefflera actinophylla
Bamboo (Bambusa and Phyllostachys species) growing in Sydney
Bamboo
Bambusa and Phyllostachys species
African Olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata) growing in Sydney
African Olive
Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata
Athel Tree (Tamarix aphylla) growing in Sydney
Athel Tree
Tamarix aphylla

Important note on council rules

This encyclopedia is a practical guide for Sydney property owners, not legal advice. Council tree rules change, and exemptions are frequently overridden by heritage listings, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping, endangered ecological communities and conditions attached to development consent. Always confirm the current rules with your council for your specific address before any tree work begins, or ask us to check it for you.
Photo by A. J. T. Johnsingh, WWF-India and NCF via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Quick facts

Botanical name
Strelitzia nicolai
Also known as
Wild Banana, White Bird of Paradise
Family
Strelitziaceae
Origin
South Africa
Mature height
6m to 10m
Canopy spread
4m to 8m
Growth rate
Fast
Foliage
Evergreen, very large paddle shaped
Typical lifespan
40 years plus
Root habit
Dense fleshy rhizomatous mass
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Need council approval? We handle the application.

Most councils will not accept a removal application without species identification, photographs and a stated reason. We prepare and lodge the lot, then carry out the work once it is approved. One call, one invoice, no forms to work out yourself.
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