Musa basjoo

Plant Characteristics

Habit		tree
Height:	⇕	12 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 12. to 15 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 15.
Lifespan:	⌛	perennial

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	sun
Water:	◍	wet, moist
Features:	✓	evergreen, foliage
Minimum Temp:	☃	-5°F252.594 K <br />-20.556 °C <br />454.67 °R <br />
USDA Zones:		6 to 11

Scientific Names

Musaceae >

Musa >

basjoo >

Read about Musa basjoo in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

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. B.M. 7182. R.B. 22, p. 152. R.H. 1896, p. 203. G.M. 54:376.—Cult. in Japan for fiber. Decorative and hardy as M. Ensete. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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.

Cultivation

Propagation

Division.

Gallery

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Musa basjoo. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Musa basjoo QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)