Musa acuminata
| Musa acuminata | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 10' |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Musa acuminata (common name: dwarf banana)
Propagation: Seed - sow the large seed in individual pots in the spring in a warm greenhouse at about 20°c[1]. Grow the seedlings on in a rich soil, giving occasional liquid feeds. Keep the plants in the greenhouse for at least three years before trying them outdoors.
Division of suckers in late spring. Dig up the suckers with care, trying to cause the least disturbance to the main plant. Pot them up and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a greenhouse until they are well established.
Cultivation: Requires a sunny sheltered position in a well-drained fertile soil with a pH between 6 and 7.5[1].
This species is able to tolerate light frosts, but it requires a very sheltered position[2]. Another report says that it requires a minimum winter temperature of 10°c and no lower than 18°c when the fruit is ripening[1].
Wild plants are diploid (2n = 22) and bear fruits containing numerous seeds making them inedible. Cultivated plants are triploid (2n = 33) and bear seedless, edible fruits; such plants have been called M. acuminata 'Dwarf Cavendish' (M. cavendishii Lambert ex Paxton; M. chinensis Sweet; M. nana Loureiro)[3].
Range: E. Asia - Southern China, India, Malaysia and the Phillipines.
Habitat: Shaded and moist ravines, marshlands, semi-marshlands and slopes from near sea level to 1200 metres[3].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or dried for later use[4]. Sweet[5][2]. The fruit is up to 12cm long and 2.5cm wide[1].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Taylor, Jane. The Milder Garden. Dent, 1990.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.