Musa acuminata (Banana, Cavendish Banana, Chinese Banana, Ladyfinger Banana)
Botanical Information
| Family | Musaceae |
| Genus | Musa |
| Species | acuminata |
| Category | Perennials, Tropicals |
| Origin | Southeast Asia, Australia and Eastern Africa. |
| Ethnobotanical Uses Disclaimer | The fruit is used in a wide variety of culinary dishes and beverages. While leaves are commonly used to wrap foods. The unopened flower bud is also serves as a food. |
Details
| USDA Hardiness Zone | 10 - 11 |
| USDA Hardiness Ref. | |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone | Requires cold season protection under glass. |
| Canada Hardiness Ref. | |
| RHS Hardiness Zone | H1c - H3 |
| RHS Hardiness Ref. | |
| Temperature (°C) | -5 - 10 |
| Temperature (°F) | 23 - 50 |
| Height | 3.6 - 6 m |
| Spread | 1.8 - 3 m |
| Growth | Fast |
| Flowering Period | June, July, August |
Description and Growing Information
| General Description | Large, fast-growing, suckering, evergreen plant that produces bananas. |
| Landscape | Whether grown outdoors in the landscape or indoors as a houseplant, bananas need lots of space. Effective when grown as a garden centre piece or for tropical flair near water bodies. |
| Propagation | By division of offsets. |
| Cultivation | Best grown in full sun with organically rich, medium moisture, well-drained soil. Needs consistently moist soils that do not dry out. Fertilize regularly during growing season. Site plants in areas protected from strong winds which can severely damage the large leaves. |
| Pests | Aphids, spider mites, mealybugs, scale, anthracnose, wilt and mosaic virus. |
| Notable Specimens | Centennial Conservatory, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Leaf sheathes overlap to form a trunk-like pseudostem (false stem). After flowering and fruiting, the pseudostem dies, but the roots push out new shoots (suckers) which form new pseudostems. |
| Leaf Description | Huge, paddle-shaped leaves that grow to 2-3.5 m long |
| Flower Description | Large and showy. |
| Fruit Description | Plant grows edible fruits known as bananas. |
| Colour Description | Leaves are medium green. Flowers are cream to yellow. Fruit starts out green and ripens to yellow. |
| Texture Description | Leaves are smooth and leathery. |
Photographs
Musa acuminata, Form.
Musa acuminata, Leaf.
Musa acuminata, Fruit.