Flowering Banana
Musa ornata (MOO-sah or-NAH-ta)
Flowering banana is a robust, herbaceous perennial in the banana family ( Musaceae ) that is native to northern India. It is typically smaller than other Musa species maturing after 10 to 20 years to a height of 9 feet with a 7 foot spread. It produces large paddle-shaped leaves and orange-yellow flowers with pinkish bracts that grow into small, 3 inch, fruit. While it is edible, the fruit is not typically eaten because of its small size and many seeds. It is more often used for its ornamental value.The genus name honors Antonia Musa, a Roman physician of the 1st century B.C. The species name means ornamental or showy. Flowering banana is not winter hardy, but it can be grown outdoors with the condition that it be dug up and brought indoors at first frost. More typically, it is grown in greenhouses or containers that are brought indoors. Its relatively small size makes it useful as a houseplant. If grown outdoors, plant Flowering banana in organically rich, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun. Use a site with part shade or light filtered sun in the heat of the day and protected from winds that can damage the leaves. Keep the soil moist and fertilize plants regularly during the growing season. If grown in containers, use a well-drained potting soil mix kept consistently moist. When brought indoors, place containers in a large sunny room with reduced water and fertilization. Alternatively, you can cut foliage back to 6 or 8 inches and store the container in a cool, dark, frost-free locaton. Flowering banana is rhizomatous with a suckering habit. After flowering and fruiting, the pseudostem formed by the leaves dies, but the roots push out suckers that form a new pseudostem. Young plants often will not flower and fruit until well established and container plants cut close to the ground in fall each year may never flower. The true species may be difficult to find in commerce. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases. Watch for aphids, spider mites, mealybugs, scale, thrips and fruit flies, especially when grown in a greenhouse. Susceptible to anthracnose, wilt and mosaic virus.
Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 50 attributes.
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