The genus is named after the duchy of Mecklenburg-Streliz, birthplace of Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom.  A common name of the genus is bird of paradise flower, because of a supposed resemblance of its flowers to the bird of paradise. 

In South Africa it is commonly known as a crane flower and is featured on the reverse of the 50 cent coin.

The leaves are large, 30–200 cm long and 10–80 cm broad, similar to a banana leaf in appearance but with a longer petiole, and arranged strictly in two ranks to form a fan-like crown of evergreen foliage. The flowers are produced in a horizontal infloreescence emerging from a stout spathe. They are pollinated by sunbirds, which use the spathe as a perch when visiting the flowers. The weight of the bird when standing on the spathe opens it to release the pollen onto the bird’s feet, which is then deposited on the next flower it visits.