View source for Musa basjoo

{{SPlantbox
|familia=Musaceae
|genus=Musa
|species=basjoo
|common_name=Hardy Banana, Japanese Fiber Banana
|habit=tree
|Min ht box=12
|Min ht metric=ft
|Max ht box=15
|Max ht metric=ft
|lifespan=perennial
|exposure=sun
|water=wet, moist
|features=evergreen, foliage
|Min Temp Num=-5
|Temp Metric=°F
|min_zone=6
|max_zone=11
|image=Musa basjoo.jpg
|image_width=180
|image_caption=Musa basjoo
}}
'''''Musa basjoo''''', the '''Japanese Fiber Banana''' or '''Hardy Banana''', is a seeded [[banana]] species. The most cold-hardy banana species, its corms have been known to survive in climates as cold as southern Ontario, Canada, Central New England and the northern border states of the American Midwest, such as Michigan, Wisconsin.  The plant has become popular with gardeners since the 1990s, due its rapid growth, tropical look, and ease of care.  A young offset, or "pup", planted out in the spring, can often reach ten to twelve feet in height by the autumn. In warm weather months it can grow up to 2 feet in a week.

In colder climates, it is necessary to give the underground corm and above ground stem heavy mulch in order for them to survive the winter.  Some sources say they can survive to -20F with proper mulching.

This plant is unlikely to flower or fruit in extreme northern areas of its range, but further south, may produce ornamental flowers and small, inedible fruits when it reaches 10' or whenever it has 35 leaves.

{{Inc|
Musa basjoo, Sieb. & Zucc. (M. japonica, Hort.). Japanese Banana. Whole plant 12-18 ft. high, stoloniferous: st. 6-9 ft. high, 6-8 in. diam.: lvs. oblong, thin bright green, 6-9 ft. long, l ½ - 2 ½   ft. broad, deltoid at base; petiole stout, about 1 ft. long: spike dense, 1 ½  ft. long; female clusters 3—4, close, 12-15 fls. each; bracts oblong, dull brown, lower 8-12 in. long; male clusters 8-12, their bracts much imbricated, persistent; calyx whitish, 2 in. long, shortly 5-toothed at apex: fr. 30-60, oblong, pointed, 3-angled, 3 in. long, narrowed to a sessile base; seeds few. Liu Kiu Archipelago.—Cult. in Japan for fiber. Decorative and hardy as M. Ensete.
}}

==Cultivation==


===Propagation===
Division.

===Pests and diseases===


==Varieties==


==Gallery==

<gallery perrow=5>
File:Banana Cotswold Wildlife Park.JPG
Image:Upload.png| photo 1
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</gallery>

==References==
<references/>
*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->

==External links==
*{{wplink}}

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